Catcher in the Rye

This classic is one I've wanted to read for a while and I'm glad that I finally got to read it for this year's Back to the Classics Challenge in the category of Classic Novella! It's extremely humorous to read a book that sounds like your husband could have written as a teenager and it was fun to ask him about things he experienced especially since he lived at a military school for a year and the main character lived in a boarding school.

As for the book I enjoyed it on the whole. When I started the book I was curious about what the point of the book was, and at the end I enjoyed it that much more. There is something refreshing about a story told in the first person for the sake of telling their story. This story is about 36-48 hours in the life of the narrator and gives you a deep look into this boy's mind and life. As Holden tells us about this full and interesting couple of days in his life, he adds all kinds of details that have left deep impressions in his young mind that are effecting his choices even in what he does in the story.

What I particularly liked about this story is the dispelling of the illusion of childhood innocence. Holden is about 16 and you can see how much life he has already lived in those short years. He's seen death more than once, is familiar with drinking, smoking, cursing and women, has seen neglect and care and has already developed what he views as right and wrong. You even see it in his ten-year-old sister Phoebe. At her young age she knows so much and complex things do not get past her. She can read Holden like a book and keeps him from being completely foolish. In all the interactions, you see how, even though young, these children are anything but.

It also shows the importance of parents in guiding their children as they grow, learn and experience the world around them. Holden bounces from school to school with no clear intervention from the parents. The primary interaction between Holden and Phoebe takes place in the family home in the middle of the night and the parents are not there. As you listen to Holden tell his story it is evident major guidance is missing from his life. As a parent this is convicting and challenging.

This book also shows how lonely and desperate life is when we have no purpose. Holden is seeking who he is but cannot find it because of the lack of guidance. As a Christian, the atheistic or agnostic undertones in his view of God and religion make it clear why he is struggling so much aside from lack of guidance. It's a reminder how precious it is to know the one true and living God, even when we're struggling with loneliness or feel like we have no purpose. It's such an eye-opening book to understand how the world think. And in all of this there is the continual reminder, money cannot buy us what really matters.

Even though this book follows the life of a teenage boy, it is easy to relate to him. I think anyone could enjoy this book. If language bothers you, then I would steer clear. This is very much written from a worldly teenage boys point of view and some may not be able to handle it.

The story line is compelling and easy to follow. From all that this book reminded me of and challenged me in, I definitely recommend it.

I would give this classic four stars.