Thomas Beller

This is as much about the author's story of trying to research J.D. Salinger as it is a biography of Salinger.

I learned a lot more about how the author and others felt about Salinger than Salinger himself.

I picked up this book after watching "Rebel in the Rye" hoping it might flesh out some of the vagaries. But they're still vague, his experiences in World War 2, his relationships with children and the raison d'etre of Catcher in the Rye. Still adds colour to Salinger rich body of work.

A very New York novel, basically linked stories that comprise an episodic coming-of-age story. Lots of precise social and psychological insights, neurotic narrator, sexual misadventures - reminiscent in tone of early Roth and Foer's EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDILKY CLOSE.

The interesting thing about this series of stories (which are funny and well-written) is that they seem to progress towards the apex of marriage. Ah, that poor kid. Not right until he's hitched. These stories are all written with the promise that a good woman is all our protagonist, in this case, the author himself, needs to lend meaning to his life. This seemed too easy to me.