I’m not sure why I decided to read a classic but I did. And I’m not sure why I chose Franny and Zooey – maybe because I enjoyed reading The Catcher in the Rye in both high school and college. Maybe it’s because I read My Salinger Year recently. Wait, I just looked back and realized I wrote about that book almost a year ago to the day (9/9/22) – weird!
Anyway, Franny and Zooey is a bizarre story and I must admit that I was surprised that Zooey was a boy. It’s doesn’t matter but I did laugh to myself at that revelation. Written by J.D. Salinger and originally published in The New Yorker as separate pieces of writing in 1955 and 1957, respectively, the book is short but packs a bizarre punch. It follows the eponymous characters, who are sister and brother and the youngest siblings of the Glass family which is a peculiar group. The conversations throughout the novel are so Salinger in that everything is “goddam,” full of intricate details, and intense. In fact, the characters give speeches and go on rants for paragraphs and pages instead of having conversations.
The first part of the book takes place in a college town where Franny is visiting her boyfriend Lane and the entire scene is exhausting. They are both obnoxious in different ways and say things like, “I didn’t say I believed it or I didn’t believe it. I said it was fascinating.” They spend an entire meal picking at one another which goes on for 43 pages. The second part is more about Zooey who is a 25-year-old actor living in New York City. We also learn about the other Glass siblings which is beyond a tough history. Next, Zooey and Mrs. Glass have an entire conversation about Franny while Zooey is in the bath. Mrs. Glass was not invited into the bathroom but barges in because she has no boundaries and therefore suffers the wrath of Zooey’s meanness. Another bizarre scene. There really is no other word for this family.
From a writing standpoint, Salinger’s quirkiness bleeds through all 201 pages. Some of his descriptions are so odd – i.e. “It appeared to contain an object roughly the size of the Hope diamond or an irrigation attachment.” What?! Salinger is known for his intricate discussion details and this book is no exception. His specifics, although offbeat at times, are rivaled by no other author of his generation. A small example is that one of the Glass siblings’ names is Buddy and then Zooey calls Franny buddy as a nickname. Why choose the same one?
Another interesting aspect of the book is that all the Glass children were on a radio program called “Wise Child” which Zooey points out is why they are “freaks.” So much of their personalities and lives seem to be shaped by their time spent on the radio but it’s never mentioned in any synopses written about the book. “We’ve got ‘Wise Child’ complexes,” says Zooey. “We’ve never really got off the goddam air.”
Franny and Zooey was definitely worth reading and it serves as a reminder of how sometimes less is more – a fact Salinger hilariously points out in the dedication.
Quotes:
“It happens to be one of those days when I see everybody in the family, including myself, through the wrong end of a telescope.”
“Act, when and where you want to, since you feel you must, but do it with all your might.”
“cleverness was my permanent affliction”
Bessie on her kids: “I don’t know what good it is to know so much and be smart as whips if it doesn’t make you happy.”
“it was apparent that she felt there was some kind of injustice in the air”
Leave a Reply