The Catcher In The Rye

Can’t remember how I first got to know about the book, somehow it was highly recommended by someone and I ended up buying one to keep in case I would want to read it someday. And that someday became a day after many years have passed upon the purchase. Very much introduced as a tale about the angst of youth and how “real” language was used in the writing were very much noted. Frankly, don’t find it particularly wonderful perhaps because I have long passed my teenage days and gone are the days of defiance and an unsettled mind. Sure I would still be struggling with some emotional  issues and at times can’t help getting back those nightmares one gets when one was young, still, age has a lot to contribute to the much mellow self. I imagine how I would have reacted if I were to read the book say 5 years ago, or 10? Can’t agree more on the use of the term phonies to describe most of the characters one encounters in the book, I can still empathise with Holden, how he must have felt towards his dead brother Allie and how he dotes on the baby sister Phoebe. In fact, I got all fired up to want to finish the book when got to the part of his home coming, the sweet sibling love and then the shocking, highly controversial episode between him and his mentor equivalent Mr. Antolini. Kind of like the straight-forward writing stlye, doesn’t really mind the crude language as it can be quite timelessly true, real language used by the people back in the 50s when the book was written and now into the 21st century. And the time-line flows like a movie captured on a handheld camera, very much reminded one of the Before Sunrise and its sequel, all happening within days after the boy got expelled from the Pencey school. And how brilliant of it to end as it is and should, indeed, life goes on. And if I didn’t say much about the story, it’s to avoid being a spoiler of any kind.  Very much want to share this story with someone, but as advised by Holden, I would definitely hold my breath. Yes, Dont tell anybody anything, if you do, you start missing everybody.