Nine Stories

Author: J.D. Salinger
Published: 1953
Pages: 200
Genre: Short Stories/Fiction
Target Age: Teens and older
Other books by Salinger: The Catcher in the Rye, Franny & Zooey
Synopsis:
The title pretty much sums it up. (But to avoid appearing lazy, I've listed the title of each story with a brief introduction.)
"A Perfect Day for Bananafish" ~ A war veteran is shell-shocked (his wife complains on the phone)
"Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut" ~ Two women complain about their lives
"Just Before the War with the Eskimos" ~ A girl tries to get her money back from a friend (complaining ensues)
"The Laughing Man" ~ A coach regales his team with tales of the laughing man
"Down at the Dinghy" ~ A mother tries to get her son out of a small boat
"For Esmé - with Love and Squalor" ~ A soldier writes to a girl he once met
"Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes" ~ Two men talk on the phone (one complains about his life)
"De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period" ~ A boy pretends to be an artist to get a job
"Teddy" ~ A boy genius talks about life (could be construed as complaining)

My Thoughts:
I remember being forced to read The Catcher in the Rye as a senior in high school at the same time that I was recovering from having my wisdom teeth removed. Suffice it to say, the pain of oral surgery was overshadowed by the pain of reading Catcher in the Rye. Why then, would I voluntarily submit myself to more Salinger? Well, besides the generous amounts of perspective, maturity, and wisdom I have accrued since the twelfth grade, I also gained a brother-in-law who, in addition to being a high school English teacher, loves J.D. Salinger. What better way to strike up a conversation than to make a casual reference to Salinger's impressive use of characterization (is there anything else he did?) in 'Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut'? Seriously though, with the exception of 'The Laughing Man,' I didn't read the stories for their plot lines. As I read more and more short stories (Okay so I haven't read a ton, but enough to notice a pattern), I'm starting to see some common elements:
1) They're never uplifting--some (not I) might describe them as macabre (that seems to be the most steadfast 'rule').
2) They often involve violence, pain, regret, or all three. (Hence observation #1)
3) The author tries to surprise, shock, or disgust the reader with some unsettling twist at the end.
4) People complain about their comfy lives (just in Salinger's stories).
Even if none of these observations are particularly appealing to me, I have been able to find value in Salinger's writing. It may not be a new or particularly astute insight, but there's a reason Salinger is known for his characterization (right?). The action and dialogue of Salinger's characters are so precise as to create a flawless image in my mind; I can hear the inflection in their voices and anticipate their reactions. Overall, I found Nine Stories worth reading due to the nature of the book--I could skip around if I only had time for one of the shorter stories--and Salinger's signature craft. Not all of the stories, however, held my interest enough to complete them; in a few instances I grew tired of the characters' melodrama and self-centeredness and found myself flipping ahead, hoping for a surprise ending to redeem it.

My Recommendation:
Read Nine Stories if you liked Catcher in the Rye or if you enjoy the common elements of short stories, as noted above. I would also recommend picking one at random and reading it--it will give you a good idea of what the rest are like. My personal favorite was 'The Laughing Man' and perhaps the most famous is 'Teddy' for its ending.