The plot arc is just as mundane:
- To Holden, everything is either depressing or corny.
- He is kicked out of school for not applying himself.
- He blames the school for being ‘full of phonies’ (p.90) for his failure.
- He goes to New York for a few days.
- He calls a bunch of people who either don’t want to hang out with him or regret it later.
- He goes home and hangs out with his sister.

Maybe this is stereotyping, but to me, depressed kids are usually highly intelligent. I kind of expected Holden to at least making interesting observations about the world around him.

Maybe this book was a classic in another era. To me, The Catcher in the Rye is utterly forgettable. Holden’s inner struggle to find his place, his way, or his meaning in the world, while noble, is uninteresting.

KLOCK WERKS FENDER FT