J.D. Salinger
I find myself disliking a lot of things that people keep telling me are supposed to be great. Nothing unusual there. For instance I don’t really see what all of the hoopla is about with the Godfather trilogy. Yeah, I can see some good points to it, but overall it doesn’t do much of anything for me. Brian, from Family Guy, had a nice comment on the movie: “It insists on itself”. I find the issue more simple - I can’t stand the sound. I’m not quite sure what Coppola was trying to accomplish with it, but all said something about the aural assault I receive when watching it really turns me off to it. I can only take clinking china and people arguing for so long. I should read the novels at some point to see if I like it better in written form.
Another one that didn’t impress me in the slightest was The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. I read it, put it down, and thought “Meh.”
What’s my beef? Two things. First off nothing really happens. The novel sums to zero in the end. His grandiose rebellion that I have heard so much about doesn’t yield anything outside of himself or with himself for that matter. Secondly, and far more importantly, I don’t find Holden to be the slightest bit interesting. I was hoping that after the first few chapters we’d get to see something about this character that would be mind bending, but we don’t. Yeah, he had a big tragedy in his life, but once again, nothing really comes of it. Instead of becoming a motivating factor in the development of his personality it becomes more of a footnote as to why he doesn’t get around to doing much of anything.
In short nothing happens to a generally unlikable and thoroughly uninteresting youth. I spent the whole time hoping we’d get a character that was like Estella in Great Expectation: unlikable but interesting, but it never delivers. Instead I kept expecting Holden to say, “I’m going back to my room to listen to Linkin Park!” I guess I don’t find teenage angst as interesting as most. Perhaps if it didn’t happen to absolutely everyone I may have found it more interesting. If a similar story was written about a woman experiencing depression after a miscarriage I’d be glued to the pages since I haven’t and never will experience it first hand.
Pkmoutl, my friendly neighborhood literary nut (well, one of them) has told me that Catcher was Salinger’s worst work. I’ll have to read his other novels and shorts just to clear the bad taste from Catcher left in my mouth.
But that’s just me. 