Rabbit, Run

The last book I read was Kerouac's On the Road. I ended my review by saying that it is a “story about a bunch of aimless kids recklessly ripping back and forth across the country leaving a trail of missing property, misplaced trust, broken hearts and ruined lives in their wake.”

Tonight my buddy Seth mentioned that he saw on The Wikipedia that “John Updike said that he wrote Rabbit, Runin response to Jack Kerouac's On the Road, and tried to depict ‘what happens when a young American family man goes on the road – the people left behind get hurt.'”

This is true. I didn't know that Rabbit, Run was a response to Kerouac, but I like that I happened to read them together and I think Rabbit, Run is the perfect antidote to anyone experiencing too much unwarranted euphoria after reading the beatnik bible. Updike's free spirited protagonist sticks around long enough to get a heavy dose of good, old fashioned cause and effect. The writing in Rabbit, Run is simple and impeccable. There are moments of humor, but mostly it is the story of a selfish fool who needs to grow up. I realize that that may not be the most enticing review, but that's The Way It Is. Updike nailed it.