Book summary

When Nick Carraway leaves the Midwest for Long Island, he finds himself between the glittering privilege of East Egg and the restless ambition of West Egg. Across the water, his cousin Daisy Buchanan and her imposing husband, Tom, inhabit a world of dazzling houses, old money, and carefully concealed troubles.

Next door to Nick stands Jay Gatsby, whose lavish parties draw crowds—and whose past fuels a thousand rumors. As summer begins, Nick glimpses the man behind the spectacle and a distant green light across the bay, where longing and possibility seem to converge.

Nick Carraway begins by recalling his father’s advice to reserve judgment, though he admits that his tolerance has limits. After returning from the First World War, he leaves the Midwest for New York to work in bonds and rents a modest house in West Egg, next door to the mansion of the mysterious Jay Gatsby. Across the bay lies fashionable East Egg.

Nick visits his cousin Daisy Buchanan and her husband, Tom, at their grand home. He meets Jordan Baker, a professional golfer staying with them. Tom’s imposing manner and racist views are apparent, while Daisy’s charm and playful conversation conceal a deep dissatisfaction. During dinner, a telephone call reveals that Tom is having an affair in New York.

After leaving the Buchanans, Nick returns home and sees Gatsby standing alone on his lawn, reaching toward a distant green light across the water. Before Nick can approach him, Gatsby disappears into the darkness.

Nick describes the Valley of Ashes, a bleak industrial wasteland between West Egg and New York, watched over by a faded billboard depicting the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg. On a trip into the city with Tom, Nick is forced to stop at the garage of George Wilson, a weary mechanic. There he meets Myrtle, George’s wife and Tom’s mistress, who arranges to meet Tom in Manhattan.

Myrtle joins Tom and Nick in a small apartment Tom keeps for her. She changes into a dress and adopts a grand, affected manner as her sister Catherine, photographer Chester McKee, and McKee’s wife arrive. The group drinks and gossips; Catherine claims that Tom and Myrtle will marry once Tom’s supposed Catholic wife agrees to a divorce. Myrtle explains that she married George believing him to be a gentleman, but now despises him.

As the party grows rowdier, Myrtle repeatedly says Daisy’s name, provoking Tom to strike and break her nose. Nick leaves the apartment with McKee and later finds himself at Pennsylvania Station, hazy from drink and unsure how the night ended.

Nick depicts the lavish parties Gatsby hosts throughout the summer: crowds arrive uninvited, drink freely, dance, and spread extravagant rumors about their absent-mindedly hospitable host. Unlike most guests, Nick receives a formal invitation. At the party he finds Jordan Baker and joins her in searching for Gatsby, whose identity and history are the subject of speculation.

In Gatsby’s library, Nick and Jordan meet an intoxicated guest known as Owl Eyes, who is amazed to discover that the books on the shelves are real. Later, Nick speaks with a friendly stranger about their wartime service and discovers that the man is Gatsby himself. Gatsby’s warm, reassuring smile makes a strong impression, although the surrounding guests continue to treat him as an enigma.

Jordan is summoned to speak privately with Gatsby and returns intrigued by what she has heard. As the party winds down, Nick witnesses a car crash outside the grounds: Owl Eyes and another drunken guest are bewildered by the car’s missing wheel. Nick later reflects on his work in the city and his growing relationship with Jordan, whom he learns has a reputation for dishonesty. He nevertheless feels drawn to her, while also acknowledging that he is entangled in an unresolved relationship back home.

Nick lists many of the people who attend Gatsby’s parties, emphasizing how freely they accept his hospitality while knowing little about him. One morning Gatsby drives Nick to lunch in New York and offers a polished account of his background: wealthy Midwestern parents, an Oxford education, a life of travel, and military honors. Nick doubts the story until Gatsby shows him a medal from Montenegro and a photograph from Oxford.

At lunch, Gatsby introduces Nick to Meyer Wolfshiem, a gambler associated with criminal activity and the fixing of the 1919 World Series. Nick also briefly encounters Tom Buchanan, but Gatsby vanishes before Nick can introduce them properly. Later, Jordan tells Nick the history she knows of Gatsby and Daisy: they met in Louisville in 1917, when Gatsby was a young officer, and Daisy married Tom several years later after Gatsby went overseas.

Jordan explains that Gatsby bought his West Egg mansion because it is across the bay from Daisy’s home. Gatsby wants Nick to invite Daisy to tea so that he can see her again without her knowing the meeting is being arranged for him. Nick agrees to help, and he and Jordan grow closer as they discuss Daisy and Gatsby’s plan.