545. Rabbit, Run

Rabbit, Run
John Updike
1960
Around 265 pages

There have been books I have hated because the main character is so insufferable. But I honestly think in those cases the fault is in the writing, because there are other novels, like this one or Lolita, where the protagonist is a garbage person, and I still enjoyed the book. Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom is just the worst, but this was still a fun read.

Rabbit is a former high school basketball star, and like many jocks, married young and has a boring sales job. His wife Janice is pregnant, and they have a two year old named Nelson. Rabbit finds his ordinary middle class existence insufferable, and searches for a way to escape. Naturally, this involves cheating on his wife.

We all know those people who peaked in high school, then live a mundane existence in Pennsylvania. Or at least I do, because I live in Pennsylvania. Luckily my high school years sucked, so that wasn't the case for me. Rabbit feels very real, and I appreciate Updike's straightforward portrayal of a man capable of redemption who is making terrible life decisions. 

I'm glad the rest of the Rabbit series is on this List, as I am very invested in this character. I can see why some might be fatigued by yet another story about an unhappily married man, but I think Updike's style makes this worth a read.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Updike said he wrote Rabbit, Run in a response to Kerouac's On The Road.

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