Lunchtime read: The Catcher in the Rye

What proves to be more powerful than any words of wisdom from teachers or fear of retribution from parents is a mirror being held up by his sister to his own behaviour. In the end what saves him from himself is the realisation that walking out on everyone and everything is a stupid as it sounds when his kid sister announces her intention to join him.

Highlights from chapters 21 - 26

* Holden sneaks into his family apartment and wakes up his sister but she guesses that he has been thrown out of school and says that his father is going to be mad with him

* Holden arranges to meet with an old teacher to spotpone the inevitable confrontation with his parents and the teacher seems to be happy handing him advice and trying to get him back on the straight and narrow

* But Holden is woken in the middle of sleeping on the couch by the teacher who is stroking his head, which freaks him out, so he leaves and heads off to sleep in central station

* He decides that he will head West and work on a ranch but he wants to say goodbye to his sister first but when she turns up he has a bag packed and tells him that she is coming too and in the argument that follows he gives in and promises to return hom

* There then follows a single page that places Holden in a psychatric hosiptal getting ready to go backto school and get back into a life full of phonys

Review will follow shortly...