One of the most famous American novels, this book is loved by some, hated by others, and still controversial. I’ve now read it 5 times and I’m not even sure if it’s a favourite. I suppose it must be, as I’m always drawn back into the world of 16-year-old Holden Caulfield, full of ‘phoney’ people and ‘lousy’ behaviour. When I first read it, as a teenager, I was confused because there isn’t exactly a story. It’s a big burst of narration, as if Holden is talking to you from a hospital ward, with a lot of repetition to imitate speech. The book is stuffed full of slang and swear words, plus there are offensive attitudes towards, well, everyone and everything. The content is mostly unpleasant but is presented with startling realism. The strange thing is that I never remember anything much that happens in the book before I decide to re-read it. I only remember the writing style. I always think of it as a 1950s book, but it was originally published in a serial form in 1945-6. Despite some outdated language and references, it feels modern and it must have been very shocking for the time. It should be noted that the book was intended for adults; I’m quite sure that a book intended for teens (remember that this was very early in the development of YA fiction) would have been toned down.

The Catcher in the Rye has been discussed extensively and there are many theories as to what it’s really about. I’m glad to say I never had to study it. To me, it seems to be a study in frustration as everything Holden does results in failure, whether it’s his studies, or dating, having a proper conversation, or having fun. Even when he buys a record for his sister Phoebe, he drops it. I love how she keeps the pieces of the record. At the end, Holden is going to attend yet another elite school and the whole cycle of failure will probably happen again. It leaves you wondering what he will do when he’s an adult, whether he’ll radically turn around his attitude and become one of the ‘phoneys’. Masculinity is a dominant theme, with its depictions of life in a boarding school for boys, the shame at being ‘yellow’ and not wanting to fight, and the boys’ fear that they might be gay. Considering it was written soon after the Second World War, there isn’t much directly about the war, but it could be considered a war novel, transposed to the confused and violent world of teenage boys.

The book has never been adapted for the big screen. Holden would be pleased about that, as he only goes to the movies to hate-watch them. I think it would be difficult to adapt the book. It’s thin on plot and the narrative voice is so integral. The book has been very influential and I particularly consider The Outsiders by S E Hinton to have a strong flavour of it.

The edition I read was published by Penguin, 1994, which reproduced the original American text.