Book Review - The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Title: The Catcher in the Rye
Author: J.D. Salinger
Genre: Classic/ Fiction
Published: 1951
 
Description: It’s Christmas time and Holden Caulfield has just been expelled from yet another school…
 
Fleeing the crooks at Pencey Prep, he pinballs around New York City seeking solace in fleeting encounters – shooting the bull with strangers in dive hotels, wandering alone around Central Park, getting beaten up and cut down by erstwhile girlfriends. The city is beautiful and terrible, in all its neon loneliness and seedy glamour, its mingled sense of possibility and emptiness. Holden passes through it like a ghost, thinking always of his kid sister Phoebe, the only person who really understands him, and his determination to escape the phonies and find a life of true meaning.
 
Review: In “The Catcher in the Rye” we take a look at society through the eyes of 16-year-old Holden Caulfield, who wanders around new York after being kicked out of school.
 
Story is set in 1950s New York and describes a few days after Holden is expelled from his elite prep school, without telling his parents. The novel is about the struggle of growing up, criticism of adult hypocrisy, and the desire to preserve innocence. Author J.D. Salinger captured this very well. Holden is a complex character who rebels against society and feels deep affection for his younger sister Phoebe, who he feel is the only person who understand him, and his deceased brother Allie.
 
The book has been banned in numerous schools since the 1960s, due to its controversial  content, vulgar language, sexual references, themes of alcohol and prostitution.
 
Although the story read smoothly for the most part, I really struggled in the middle. The pacing was really slow and it took me a while to get through it. This is definitely a character driven book. And it was sad and depressing at times as well.
 
I think it deserves the title of being a classic. The themes that are featured in the book were captured well. But because of the struggle I had in that middle part, it’s not going to be a favorite.
 
Rating: 3/ 5