Title: The Catcher In The Rye
Author: J.D. Salinger
Length: 216 pages
Year Written: 1945
Why I chose this book: I know that this is an important piece of literature, one I somehow managed to sidestep in my many English classes throughout life.
Before opening my copy of The Catcher In The Rye, I had absolutely no idea what it would be about. I didn't want to spoil my sense of wonder by checking Wikipedia or SparkNotes, and so, once I started reading, I was a bit surprised. The story seemed so normal. It was just about a kid who seemed to hate everything. He didn't have friends, didn't have sex, and kept getting kicked out of schools. I kept reading and reading, waiting for the big moment of clarity about why this book is such a heralded work. There was never a big moment. It was more the general after-impression left by this narrative that was remarkable. The main character, Holden Caulfield, is seriously maladjusted. He thinks everything and everyone is fucking stupid and phony—except for himself, of course. In the same vein, it is also unsettling that the book is narrated by Holden. I have serious trust issues with first-person narratives. Anyway, as you read, you learn some things about him, and continue to see him unravel, until you realize the book is over and you've just experienced one of the all-time greatest novels ever written. The feeling you feel at this point certainly begs for a much closer re-read. Especially for those who were lucky enough to actually study this book in high school, reading it again as an adult would almost certainly prove to be a rewarding experience. Salinger is awesome. I read this book and I just wish we could be text buddies.
This book took an unusually long time for me to read, considering its relatively short length, but I blame it on a 10-day vacation I took recently (I was reading another book originally, and left it in Houston on a connecting flight).
The most striking part of the book is when you find out the meaning of the book's title. I remember always wondering what in the fuck a catcher in a rye was. Now I know. Oh, how I know. It also reminds me a lot of the much newer novel The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, which must have found some slight inspiration in Holden Caulfield. Both are decently funny, semi-depressing stories of an awkward boy. Overall, The Catcher In The Rye is a tale of growth, pain, and alienation—but most people already know that. I'm the one who just found out.
Rating: 9.3/10
