Confused by Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So, this book. Was kind of weird. But cool too.

The Catcher in the Rye is an interesting journal-like novel from the perspective of a pessimistic 16-year-old boy living in New York City. Having just been expelled from boarding school, the novel recounts the misadventures of Holden Caulfield as he procrastinates returning home.



I enjoyed this book but I don’t know if it deserves all the merit and status that the American market seems to give it. The book hooks the reader remarkably well and it reads fast but by the time I got to the end of it, it seemed pointless. There was no rising action, no climax, it was just the everyday (a little questionable) life of the protagonist, Holden, and then it just ended without any resolution. Which I get was the point because the novel complains a lot about how fake movies and their story-lines are. So I love Salinger for that, for standing his ground and for writing his novel to match the arguments presented in it. However at the same time, I wanted something to happen. I wanted a story. And, frankly, the protagonist complained too much which made the novel kind of depressing. If he wasn’t such a sweetheart at the same time, I probably wouldn’t have given the book even a three-star rating.



So, I enjoyed it solely because the writing was pretty. If the quality of the writing had of been anything less I would have been disappointed by the end of it. 


I do recommend reading it at least once in your lifetime, however, I doubt that I will ever be compelled to read it a second time unless I’m feeling confused and feel the need to know and understand the reasons the American market regards the novel as a classic. Maybe, I just need an English professor to explain to me why they love it so much.

J.D. Salinger
The Catcher in the Rye
Penguin Books, 1951
192pp. $5.24
ISBN 9780140237504

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