Take Five

A friend of mine on Facebook recently caused a storm by saying bad things about On the Road and The Catcher in the Rye. I say she caused a storm even though she was being sarcastic (mostly about guys who say such books are their favorites being emotionally stunted morons). There is much truth to this.

When I was about fifteen or so, Rye was my favorite book because it "spoke to" me. Nowadays, if I tried to read it I'd likely get pissed five pages into it and wonder how the hell this Holden Caulfield manages to tie his own shoes in the morning, much less conduct himself with anything approaching lyrical resonance in his monologues. I love Salinger, I revere his work, but I don't think the book works as well when you're grown up and dealing with all the real-world problems that come with it. Besides, most of Nine Stories is better.

Now, On the Road: Jesus Christ, really? I understand what Kerouac was going for, but talk about making something out of nothing. Maybe I wasn't the right age to read it (I was about thirty), but this book was annoying, especially the Neal Cassady stand-in. I have never wanted to punch a literary character repeatedly in the throat more than him.

No, books like that don't move me, or move me anymore. As I get older I'm getting into other stuff. Mostly this has meant Graham Greene, who lived through the bulk of the twentieth century and described more of the weird, sad, and depressing aspects of it better than anyone who's ever lived. It also means Walker Percy, whose work sometimes goes over my head but the overall atmosphere of it (laughing at the absurdity of modern life) I totally dig. I'm even working my way through Jane Austen; I've got Northanger Abbey now, and Sense and Sensibility I'm saving for last. I also love non-fiction: George Plimpton, A.J. Jacobs, and the like. Plenty of good stuff besides that atrocious On the Road.

Well, I find it atrocious, anyway. I love how there's a version out "based on the original scroll" that doesn't feature chapter breaks or paragraph breaks. Oh goody, I can immerse myself in Sal Paradise's bizarre and rambling worldview. Whoopee!

In the end, my opinion is about as valid as anyone's, and I doubt I'll sway too many minds with this. Read On the Road for yourself, if you must. If you get any enjoyment out of it, you're a better person than I. I'll take The Power and the Glory or Love In the Ruins any day over that.