The Catcher in the Rye

by J.D. Salinger

Just finished this book yesterday after 3 weeks. Next time I should really not read 4 books simultaneously. Wasn't confusing because they were all very different stories and genres, but I just could not really get into the books, seeing I was jumping between them all. But I did at last attempt to finish this book first.

I only heard of this book from watching Stephen Colbert when he said that Salinger had passed away. Salinger is himself a peculiar guy, likes living in seclusion. During publication of this book, he did not even promote the book but instead went off to Europe. In his later years, it was even said he wrote books and just kept them in a safe box, never to be published.

This book is written in the form of a journal by a boy, Holden Caulfield who describes a crazy period in his life, from being kicked out of school for the umpteenth time and what he did in between that time and going back to his family. It being a journal by a 16 year old, makes this book one of the best I have read. Holden does some very crazy things and have some ridiculous and contradictory thoughts. And this leads to a series of crazy things he does and his commentary of his past and actions is very entertaining.

This book is not morally and socially correct but it to me, is also the most accurate book I have read of human behavior. This I say in the sense that I can relate very much to the ideas and actions of Holden, being the logical or the illogical (more the illogical). Catcher in the Rye is a book to be kept and re-read, it was a wonderful read the first time round and I am sure it will always remain wonderful to many people for a long, long time.