Raise High the Roofbeam, Carpenters; and, Seymour an Introduction by J.D. Salinger

J.D. Salinger wowwwwww. He could squat, hold his hands 4 inches below his rectum, defecate, and smear it on a page and I would still read it--and probably pee my pants because it was literally the best s$%* I ever read. Seriously, these two novellas of sorts are quite impressive. Raise High is classic Salinger--an absolutely simple plot (2 afternoon hours take up the whole 100 pages) with fascinatingly witty characters. I think what I love most about his writing is the fact that the characters seem so real in their thoughts and actions. I feel like if I were to meet Salinger's protagonists in real life, they would be nothing short of the most interesting people in the world.

Reading Salinger makes me think writing is so easy. The way he puts two words together and continues to combine those two words with another set is really sweet. I think he gets into the psychology of his characters really well and he does this without being ornate; rather his beauty lies in its simplicity. Seymour is a bit crazier and doesn't follow the conventions of a novel. It is truly an introduction to probably Salinger's favorite Glass family character, Seymour, but told through the eyes of Buddy. From my reading, and this may be overly simplistic, it seems that the real Salinger is revealed phsyically through Buddy but speaks his mind through Seymour. These thoughts were easily the hardest part to read and my favorite part was the description of Seymour's athletic ability. I also really like, and was surprised to find, that Seymour, the same one from A Perfect Day for Bananafish, was actually pretty normal (in Salinger's mind) with an appetite to please and be a good example for his six younger siblings. In other works, Seymour is not mentally content but in this setting he was quite likable.

For fans of The Catcher in the Rye, I highly recommend Raise High. Seymour is harder to get through but rewarding for the biggest Salinger fanatics. Final thought: while I may not consider Salinger the biggest literary genius of the 20th century, I think he will continue to be my favorite author for a long time to come.

Oh and politely excuse this short post, including its frankness and extreme colloquialisms. I was trying to get any thoughts I had on the book in a short amount of time.