Thoughtful, enlightening, entertaining.
Not the kind of book that everyone’s gonna like. Holden is a guy who, quite frankly, isn’t too hard to dislike. His point of view, though cynical and negative, provides a fresh, interesting narration. Regardless, one should definitely try to read Catcher, as it is among the most essential of coming of age books.
Holden is a cynical guy in his negative teens who is kicked out of yet another school. Having enough of all the ‘phoniness’, he escapes to New York in the middle of the night, searching for his field of rye.
In Catcher, Salinger effortlessly captures change, fear and the border between child and adult hood, and portrays it in an amazing narration. Never completely overusing negativity and cynicism, Salinger paints the struggles of growing up unbelievably accurately in the undertone of the novel. With The Catcher in the Rye, J.D Salinger flawlessly write the fear and determination of a mutually experienced struggle into a surprisingly relatable read.
I found this book rather similar to The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, sort of like a Perks of that generation. Have the whole coming of age, finding yourself, etc. theme. If you liked Perks, you’ll like Catcher.
Overall, great read. Very insightful and deep, yet entertaining. Would recommend.
Will post an interpretation soon, hopefully, if I ever get around to it…
Spilled Ink 