Book 36: The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger



Last Christmas, we were in Jason’s hometown, and one of his friends told me that he was reading this. He did not like it and he felt like nothing was happening in the story. He then even questioned whether or not it deserved to be called “A Classic.”

I hadn’t read this since high school, so I could only remember an impression of Holden Caulfied as a sensitive, troubled guy with high standards for human behavior. I was excited to see if I still liked it. Maybe I’m too old now. Maybe it only really speaks to teenagers, who are full of angst and disappointment in the world.

Nope. I loved it from the beginning. Oh, Holden’s narration! He’s so sarcastic and self-aware. He’s 16 and just got kicked out of another boarding school. He decides to spend a few days in NYC before going home and facing his parents.

Some exciting things do happen, including two fist fights and hiring a prostitute, but they’re all told by Holden as if they weren’t that big a deal. So I guess that’s why it could seem like nothing was happening – most of the events are reported in kind of a blasé style. He does get pretty worked up at the end, but I won’t ruin it for you.

The verdict: Jason's hometown friend is nuts when it comes to literature.