Jaws by Peter Benchley

Released in 1975, Steven Spielberg’s film adaptation of Jaws remains an undisputed classic that changed the face of mainstream cinema (for good or ill) but, somewhat less revered these days, is the book on which it was based, released only a year before and written by Peter Benchley.

Inspired by tales of shark attacks off New York State ten years earlier the book, like the film, is set in the fictional town of Amity over the period around the 4th of July weekend as a shark picks off members of the public who venture into the sea, and the men tasked with killing it, police chief Brody, scientist Hooper and fisherman and shark hunter Quint.

Peter Benchley

Unlike the film a series of subplots tie into this which immediately loses the directness and focus that makes the film such a success as everything from affairs, youngsters with drugs and even mafia associations crop up to cause more trouble for Brody and co as they try and keep the town’s residents and holiday visitors off the menu of the titular great white.

While some of these side stories feel like they are simply there to help Benchley achieve his word count, just about enough of them add to the core story to keep it interesting and expand on the world of Amity in a way a book can more than the film – particularly interesting are some of the aspects of local politics and media coverage that swirl around the shark attacks and ring surprisingly true (before organised crime gets involved at least – The Godfather this is not).

Elsewhere, when needed, Benchley does do a great job of creating a sense of tension initially as we await the shark attacks and later, as the hunt goes on, waiting for the shark to appear or the hunters to catch sight of it, though it lacks something of the terrifically drawn relationships between the trio that is created in the film and revels in death and destruction a little too much later on.

Ultimately Jaws the novel may be something of an ‘airport potboiler’ (though maybe not one to read on a seaside holiday) and it’s understandable why it’s reputation hasn’t lasted as long as the film, but as a casual read it’s quick and fun and certainly a more than interesting diversion for a couple of hundred pages.