Rabbit, Run by John Updike

 (Book Review)

I decided to take a stab at another John Updike book. As I mentioned before, the last one was hard for me to identify with. This one is about a guy around my age, so I thought I’d identify with it a lot more. But I was wrong.

The great thing about books is that they act as a miniature time machine. They let us see what people were like in previous ages. And most of the time we find that people stay the same more often than they change.

I think every generation on some subconscious level, at the point where feeling is stronger than thought, believe that they were the first generation to ever truly be young, and every older person sprung out of the womb as fully formed adults. Which is why books act as a great window on the past. For example, the book that I thought best described high school life or a boys dormitory was “A Separate Peace”, which was written during my grandparent’s time.

But then every once and a while you run across a book that reminds you of how much things have changed. Like this book, “Rabbit, Run”, about a 26 year old man who is having a mid-life crisis. He is stuck in a job he doesn’t like, with a wife he’s sick of and a kid he’s indifferent to. And he gets the urge to just run away from it all.

On the other hand.....Brett and I have observed that most of our Calvin friends get what we call the “3 year itch.” Most people we know graduate from college, get a job, and then after 3 years begin to get sick of it and want to move on. I’m a perfect example. I spent 3 years in Oita, and then decided I wanted to move to another part of Japan, spent another 2 years and then decided I was sick of Japan and couldn’t wait to get back home.

Of course, being single and without any family to support I could just pick up and move when I felt like it. And I think generally people are getting married and having children later than in the 1950s (when “Rabbit, Run” was written), but there are plenty of young parents still around. In fact my brother’s one of them. And if I had gone right when I went left I might have ended up in the same situation myself.

So, does the “3 year itch” still apply when you’ve got a wife and kid? Do you get the urge to leave them all behind and just go somewhere new? I certainly hope not, but I guess it wouldn’t surprise me if it was true for some people.

Phil and I recently discussed this book when he was visiting a couple weeks ago. Phil believes that John Updike in general, and this book in particular, is responsible for some of the worst sex scenes in English literature. I’m going to have to respectfully disagree. It would have been terrible if John Updike’s purpose was to arouse, but I think his purpose is a much more cynical view of sex. I don’t think any of the characters ever engage in sex for the sake of sex in this book. They always have an ulterior agenda they are trying to work out.

And while I’m on the subject...I think Tom Wolfe was unfairly maligned for “the worst sex scene” in “I am Charlotte Simmons.” That was obviously not supposed to be a piece of erotica either. It read terrible because it was supposed to convey a terrible experience.

Addendum: A few further thoughts...
One thing I really liked about this book was the full characters. Every character in this book, even the supporting characters, are fully developed and 3-dimensional. During the course of the story we get to see things from everyone's perspective, and sympathize with all the characters. I particularly liked the portrayal of Reverand Eccles, who has the thankless job of trying to bring Rabbit back into the fold. He's a full character with struggles and problems of his own, not simply a plot device.
Also looks like I'm not the only one reading this book. Navis recently posted the same book on his book reviews. How's that for coincidence?

Useless Wikipedia Fact
Lyndon Johnson, while using the White House bathroom, was known to insist that others accompany him and continue to discuss official matters or take dictation. At other times Johnson relieved himself in the White House garden. Johnson was known to habitually relieve himself outdoors

Link of the Day
Dean put up his own post on the couch burning, complete with a history of the couch, and pictures (including one of yours truly)

Rabbit, Run by John Updike: Book Review (Scripted)