Thursday, October 30, 2003
I finished reading The Catcher in the Rye yesterday. Mark Chapman did J.D. Salinger a massive favour by having a copy of the book in his pocket when he shot John Lennon as otherwise I don't think anyone today would remember it and it wouldn't get nominated for the BBC Big Read. It's just so dull and tedious. Nothing happens on page one then continues not to happen right until the end. The central character, Holden Caulfield, doesn't even have enough personality to warrant being either 'the hero' or 'the anti-hero', it reads like a book written to take the piss out of small-minded teenagers who seem to think their problems are somehow grand and unique in the scheme of things. I can't believe anyone over the age of sixteen being able to like this book and it doesn't surprise me one bit that Ruby Wax is going to make the case for why it's so wonderful, the advert for Saturday's show has her gushing "If me and Holden met I'm sure we'd be best friends..." Says it all really.
