The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

“I'm quite illiterate, but I read a lot. ” 

Weird.

This word pretty much sums up this book. You often come across authors who attempt to write books on concrete events or topics but the resultant is nothing except trash. Their attempts to convey meaning fail and the readers are left confused. But what about an author who deliberately does this? Catcher in the Rye is one such book. It has no moral lessons to impart, no special experiences to thrill.

It is the story of a teenage boy,Holden Caulfield, who after being kicked out of school, decides to spend sometime in run down New York motels, before going back home to face his parents. He spends the next few days visiting bars, meeting old crushes and wondering about the motives of people around him. The story has no major twists and turns. A detailed narrative of Holden's simple(stupid?) adventures is all it tells. And yet, this is considered a literary classic by many (myself included). The reason? Because of the sheer difficulty of penning down accurately the thoughts and actions of a teenager. Teenage is a phase we all go through. Each of us has experienced the moments of self doubt, pity and confusion that Holden goes through. Most of us spend hours trying to find out what we really want in life, few of us succeed. In this book, the author captures the angst of Holden and his confusion beautifully. Holden's hate of movies, slobs, wars and almost everything that's fake is expressed in an interesting way.

This book is not for the rational people, the ones who believe every story must have a head and a tail. For this one doesn't. It's simply random thoughts penned down together to create a narrative. I thought it was easy to do it, till I tried it myself.

Reasons to read it:

• Reading about Holden's views and actions reminds one of our teenage. The period when people seem fake and all actions pointless, the time of wondering what we really want to do. Believe me, its fun.
• This is one book which all aspiring writers should read. Simple everyday events are always the toughest to describe and Salinger does this beautifully. You can learn a lot from him. 

Memorable Quotes:

“I am always saying "Glad to've met you" to somebody I'm not at all glad I met. If you want to stay alive, you have to say that stuff, though.”

“If a girl looks swell when she meets you, who gives a damn if she's late?”

“The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.”

You may or may not like this book but I believe its worth a read. This is one book, which each reader will interpret differently. This was my interpretation of it. Hope you like reading it!

ps: Here's a link to a great review of the same book. It's written in a voice imitating Holden's and is an amazing read.