The Catcher in the Rye

It's been a while since I've read this book, but it's another one of my all-time favorites. I read this one right after its author, J. D. Salinger, died and I realized that I'd never actually read anything that he wrote. Although I'm not at all glad that Salinger is dead, I am extremely glad that I read this book.

Like The Sound and the Fury, there's not a whole lot of plot to this book. It's essentially the mental demise of the main character and narrator, Holden Caulfield. The whole novel is told as a flashback; although it's never described explicitly, Holden has some kind of mental breakdown and the book is a reflection of the events leading up to it. The book opens on the last day of Holden's day at his boarding school before his expulsion is effective. After leaving school he goes to New York and just kind of bums around the city. One of Holden's main concentrations is the death of Allie, his younger brother. He is also caught up on people and things which he labels "phony".

In a way, The Catcher in the Rye is almost a coming-of-age story. There's a lot of themes about adolescent angst and having to deal with the world. Additionally, Holden Caulfield is one of the most sympathetic characters in American literature, since almost everyone that reads this book ends up identifying with him on one level or another, whether it's his hatred of phonies, lack of clear direction, or struggles in his relationships.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. It moves pretty easily; the chapters are fairly short and the language is simple. I found that I had a hard time putting it down as I was reading it, and it's one of those books that will hit you differently each time you read it...so multiple reads are absolutely recommended.