The Giant's House: A Romance

The Giant's House: A Romance was an interesting book. Not only did it deal with the physical aspects of a "giant of a man" but also a considerable age difference between himself (19) and the woman who loved him (30). It showed a level of understanding and acceptance rarely seen. Two people in love who were quite different whose circumstances bought them together - with a surprise twist at the end!

Several other reviewers have commented that the character of James appears to be modelled on the real-life Robert Wadlow of Alton, Illinois, who was a pituitary giant. He died in 1940, aged 22, from an infected ankle in the pre-antibiotic era. He stood 8 feet 11 inches tall and weighed nearly 500 pounds at the time of his death. One chapter ("His Heart Shares in His Proportions") concerns a doctor who comes to examine James and subsequently publishes an unflattering article about him in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Robert Wadlow was similarly examined by a Missouri physician who showed up at the house one day, claiming to be an expert on gigantism. This resulted in an unflattering article about Robert in JAMA, which suggested that Robert--whose IQ had been measured at 124--was mentally sluggish and emotionally withdrawn. The Wadlow family sued the physician and the AMA. They lost the case when the court ruled that the article was covered by "medical privilege" (that is, the doctor was merely reporting his observations based on a single examination of Robert lasting about two hours on one day) and did not have the funds for an appeal. However, the witnesses during the trial--Robert's former teachers, principal, his own family physician--publicly refuted the doctor's inferences about Robert's intelligence and psyche. The doctor was not wealthy and the family expected only a retraction and an apology. The family also sued TIME magazine for repeating the allegations and did receive an apology from the editors of TIME. This suit was still in the courts when Robert died and was dismissed posthumously, in accordance with then-extant Illinois law. I enjoyed the book and the author's use of two societal misfits who find in each other a part of what the other is missing. However, given the similarity of James' character to the real-life Robert Wadlow (particularly the chapter about the JAMA article), I feel that some acknowledgement, possibly in an epilogue, should have mentioned Robert, whose real life story of overcoming disability was easily as interesting as any novel.

***spoiler alert*** Before I say anything else, I have to say that Elizabeth McCracken is a literary ballerina - she is in love with words and her use of them could not be more graceful or defined. The Giant's House is written in first person and I get the feeling that many of the thoughts & opinions are her own. Her intellect and wisdom had me reading and rereading sentences because many of them were so deep, so meaningful that they deserved a minute or more of reflection a piece. Other reviewers mentioned that Peggy's character aggravated them; that they felt she was too "woe is me", too focused on feeling unloved. I agree that it wasn't an easy read in that sense - I found myself wanting more from the character. As deep a thinker as she was, she was still an emotionally undeveloped person (though McCracken's writing itself could not have been better developed) and that made it difficult to connect with her at times. However, that was the point of this story and it became a bit more clear to me towards the end - James, a boy with his own reasons for solitude, becomes Peggy's outlet and fills a void that, as Peggy said herself, she couldn't let anybody else fill. There was a line in there somewhere about how maybe she loved him selfishly, loved him because he wouldn't be around to love for long. She mentioned that maybe that was the only type of love she could handle. Regardless of the reasoning behind it, James becomes that person and she becomes a much needed constant in his bizarre world. Its an exchange that probably ended up saving both of their lives at different points in the book. I wanted to give this book 4 stars, because the writing is beautiful beyond words and the story won't be one I soon forget, but the truth is, even so I found myself feeling bored and impatient in the middle. It started to get a little monotonous and just when it reached some sort of climax, it fell back down and soon after that the story comes to an end. The last few chapters were a quick read; updates on what happens after James's death. I didn't mind the romance between Peggy & James's father, because I understood the emotional reasons behind it and it seemed realistic enough. And I even thought that the pregnancy was an interesting way to wrap things up... Peggy's insistence on it being James's baby was realistic, because by this time we've gotten to know and understand the depth and complexities of her love for him. I liked that in doing that, she gave James a legacy that he couldn't otherwise have fulfilled. I guess that's what I liked most about it (aside from all of the beautiful metaphors and pieces of wisdom) - that James is a boy who's disability has taken so much from him and Peggy is a grown woman who, in a way, has taken so much from herself. I like that relationship; that there could be a line of understanding between two people like that. I just kept finding myself wishing that more had happened between them, not necessarily romantically, but emotionally. I wish somehow James had gotten Peggy to open up or to evolve in some way or that she made a deeper emotional impact on his world. I know that probably would have made the story less realistic, but as it was, it fell short for me. It just didn't feel like enough at times. Also, I have to mention that the scene in the shoe store with James's feet..... McCracken is such an amazingly detailed writer that I seriously dry heaved reading that. I don't think I've ever read something so grotesque in my life! It's a mental picture that will probably never leave me. Just a warning! If you get to the part that mentions feet, you may want to stop right there. My favorite quote in the book ended up being one by James's father. It's absolutely beautiful and something I've thought of myself, except of course, I could never put it in words like McCracken has: "People become immune to love like they become immune to any disease. Either they had it bad early in life, like chicken pox, and that's that; or they keep getting exposed to it in little doses and build up an immunity; or somehow they just don't catch it, something in them is born resistant... I'm immune to love and poison ivy." Overall I'd says its definitely worth the read. It was a memorable story and despite the areas where it dragged, the writing carried it enough to keep me reading.

This book is beautifully written and the story is heartbreaking (but in a wonderful way). The narrator of the story is Peggy Cort, the librarian in a small New England town. When she is 25, she meets and befriends an 11-year-old boy named James who suffers from gigantism (he is 6 foot 2 at age 11). James and Peggy ultimately form a very close friendship and pseudo-love affair, which is complicated by the difference in their ages but mostly by the physical and emotional problems associated with his condition (he ultimately grows to over 8 feet tall). There are so many interesting elements to this book, including the practical difficulties James faces (how do you fit in a car? where do you find size 36 shoes?), the fame he generates, the complex relationships among the characters (which is not limited to James and Peggy), etc. I could not stop reading this book, I would recommend it to anyone, of any age.

Wonderful book at a reasonable price.

Unusual story,full of charm.

I loved Niagara Falls All Over Again and was really pleased to find this book online. The first few pages were up to standard but then the author seemed to lose her nerve - it is quite a sensitive subject - and in the end I really didn't care what happened to anyone. The age gap was pretty much ignored because the writing was not specific enough and it just all seemed a bit woolly.

A very strange love story beautifully and poetically written, full of intriguing characters and surreal situations. A love story between an antisocial librarian and a much younger boy who is a giant set in 1950s might sound a bit creepy but the writing makes it sadly beautiful and quirky and flfe-affirming enough not to be depressing to read. Give it a go!

Made to read for my book club, I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. An interesting and sometimes poignant look at the difficulties someone with gigantism faces. Forces you to see things differently, highly recommended book.