Review: “The BFG” by Roald Dahl

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💭 IMO it’s not Dahl’s most perfectly constructed novel, but it is one of his most imaginative and emotionally resonant stories because of its voice rather than its plot. Dahl captures something essential about childhood: the feeling that the world is enormous, adults are unpredictable, and friendship can make frightening things bearable.

The ending was a slight letdown in Sophie and BFG’s ability to tackle the problem in that they hand things off to the Queen who takes over ably. It’s a bit of a deus ex machina - the powerful British monarchy (i.e. an outside force) solves the problem of the giants because Sophie and BFG couldn’t overcome it themselves. 

💭 Dahl’s BFG is a conduit for total linguistic whimsy and nonsense words. Through him, Dahl celebrates the power of words and introduces children to the idea that language itself can be playful.

💭 Nearly all of the characters in BFG are one-dimensional. The villains (the other giants) are all bad. They’re gluttonous, stupid, and brutal. The Queen and BFG are good. Sophie, alone, is interesting because she is brave, intelligent, and capable, but not idealized. Her willingness to question authority enables her to take part in saving the day without relying on adults to do so.

💭 BFG at its heart is a story about friendship between 2 outsiders who find each other. BFG is marginalized and excluded by the giants because he refuses to eat humans, and Sophie is an orphan. The warmth of the friendship allows Dahl to deliver a scary vision of child-eating giants without frightening off child readers. Plus, the Quentin Blake illustrations are marvelous! He is able to capture both the grossness and humor of the giants.

💭 NB: As with *many* of Dahl’s novels, there is a dose of cultural incompetence present. I don’t advocate not reading the books ofc, but beware and ready to explain or talk things out as needed. There are uncomfortable elements in the naming and characterization of the giants, particularly the references to where they prefer to “eat” humans from around the world. While these details were intended as absurd humor, they can reinforce stereotypical ideas about different cultures. Proceed, but with some care.

💭 These don’t feature friendly giants, but they’ve got plucky protagonists navigating an adult-size world. They use wonder, silliness, and bravery to soften the scary parts.