The Great Gatsby has always been one of my favorite books, capturing the 1925 Jazz Age and telling a tale of how love can be fleeting against the constraints of high society. It remains an American classic because it defines the era, giving us a glimpse through the sensible eyes of Nick Carraway, a young idealist from Minnesota, as he sets out to make himself on East Coast.

When he rents a small house on West Egg district of Long Island, he is brought into the confidence of his neighbor Jay Gatsby. Coincidently, Gatsby picked his lavishly appointed Gothic mansion because it sits directly across the water from his cousin Daisy Buchanan and her husband, Tom.

Gatsby and Daisy had met and fallen in love before the war, but time, distance, and Gatsby’s improvised post-war status kept the two apart for too long. Daisy, who was looking to settle into her life securely, was eventually charmed by Tom despite never having as deep of feelings for him as she did for Gatsby. Likewise, Tom’s passion for Daisy seems confined to being one of position, given his deep-rooted propensity for adultery.

While Gatsby was initially trying to attract Daisy’s attention by chance, his friendship with Nick provides an opportunity to rush things toward what he believes will be a story of lost love rekindled. Except, not everything is so simple nor so just as the characters race toward an uncertain and tragic end.