6.29.2010

Shelter of Hate

Reading now: Rabbit, Run by John Updike

"...hate suits him better than forgiveness. Immersed in hate, he doesn't have to do anything; he can be paralyzed, and the rigidty of hatred makes a kind of shelter for him."

So far this book is depressing me.  It follows Rabbit, an unsatisfied 26-year-old who, on a whim, runs away from his wife and child with hopes of finding what is missing from his life. I'm not invested in any of the characters and am hoping they change into more respectable and admirable people. I'm preparing myself to be let down.

4 comments:

  1. If you are expecting Rabbit to be respectable and admirable, you are going to be let down. That's not what the Rabbit series is about.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I often wonder whether this book is suited for men between the ages of 21-27, those years when they are terrified of being tied down and living out a "normal" life. I hear so many people say the book is such a drag and Rabbit is such a tosser. I read it when I was 22 and I loved it. With that said, I don't think I'll ever re-read for fear everything I just said might be true... Enjoy regardless.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm starting to see where the book is going and I guess I was expecting something different. Which isn't to say I don't like it. We'll see how I feel at the end.

    Ape - I've already prepared myself for a let down :)

    Kenneth - I think you're right. This book definitely speaks to the 20-something demographic of men who are scared to be tied down. If I were older and married I would be worried if my husband started to read this book.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I sort of look at the Rabbit series as a treatise for the emotionally impotent. I find it really annoying.

    ReplyDelete