The Catcher In The Rye

Title: The Catcher in the Rye
Author: J.D. Salinger
Genre: Classic, Literary Fiction
Format: Paperback
Pages: 277
Reason Read: Book Club
Rating:

My Thoughts

I’ve wanted to read THE CATCHER IN THE RYE for a very long time. So when we decided to read it for book club, I was really excited! I don’t know what I had in mind, but what I read was definitely not it. I thought it had no plot and was completely pointless. I’m not sure why it’s even considered a classic. And, I detested the writing style. I hated how Holden thought / spoke (other than the colloquialisms). His thoughts were rambling and unfiltered, which isn’t my cup of tea when I read a book. I actually really liked the colloquialisms. They’re probably the only thing I did like.

I understand why teenage boys would like this story because they probably relate to Holden really well. Since I’m neither a teenager nor a boy, I couldn’t relate to him. I could see why Holden felt the way he did in some circumstances. He really seemed to like kids because they were genuine and weren’t jaded yet. On the flip side, he hated adults (or anyone nearing adulthood) because they all seemed like they were phonies.

I hated Holden at first, but I felt sorry for him in the end. I felt like he was crying out for help and no one could see that he was. He was so depressed, suicidal even, and he didn’t know how to deal with his little brother’s death. None of the adults in his life really showed him how to grieve, cope, or even live. I wished he had found someone to help him. I think that would’ve made the book better and at least given a point to the story.

I tried to like this story and I even tried to see why my book club cohorts liked it. While I agree with a lot of what they said about it, it just wasn’t for me. Even though I didn’t like it, I’m still glad I read it so I can say that I have.