Review Detail

I've just finished reading The Catcher In The Rye. To begin with, I found it undoubtedly tricky to feel engaged and keep wanting to persevere with the book - probably because it is like nothing I have ever read before. The writing style is extremely unique, however the further you delve into the books the more aware you become of what certain things represent. The Catcher In Rye is absolutely brimming with symbolism, and I personally interpreted the main themes to be growing up, self-protection and lies. I found that there was never really any main event - the book just consists of pointless encounters in Holden Caulfield, the controversial main characters', life. At first I found this rather tedious, as usually in books I read there is a build-up and then something shocking and dramatic occurs. However, I soon came to realize that the briskness and lack of depth in the encounters featured in the book actually mean something. It, to me, represents the way Holden sees life. I can't say I didn't enjoy seeing things from Caulfield's perspective - as he is both witty and hateful, which I found undeniably intriguing. Overall, I can say that this book is rightfully called a classic and one of the best novels American Literature has ever produced, and I would not dare to label it any less. It just takes time to really digest and get to know Holden, and once the motifs become clearer, the story itself becomes a whole lot more enjoyable.