Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

I read "Rabbit is Rich", the third book in the 4 book Rabbit-series almost ten years ago. I got it in the library in Copenhagen and didn't know it wasn't a stand alone. I loved the book and promised myself I'd read all four novels and start from the beginning. I was in a weird headspace at the time and somehow John Updike didn't seem like a priority, so he took a backseat.

I don't really mind having waited to read the first in the series now, because I got to read it now and I absolutely loved it!

This novel is about Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom, a 26-year old (which apparently in the 50s already made him something of a crypt-keeper), unlikeable man trapped in a job he hates that pays badly and an unhappy marriage and a son and another child on the way, reminiscing about his glory days of being good at basketball. One day he up and leaves and starts having an affair with Ruth, a part-time prostitute, as they try to mold each other into people they both aren't. I don't want to spoil the ending, but one thing to me is very clear: I did not love this book because of its story but because of the way it's told and its characters. I strongly dislike Rabbit and I'm always so impressed when an author managed to write very flawed characters that feel very human and real.

I think the only downside for me was reading this during nanowrimo, while writing a very horrible novel that I'll probably never look at again. Here John Updike does everything I fail at: telling a story that feels completely un-forced and real in an unpretentious style that is both engaging and easy to read. It's definitely in the "ugh, this is so good, I'll never be able to do THAT" category.

I don't feel I'm capable of doing this novel justice right now, so I'll just stop and use this as a reminder to read the other Rabbit novels and not wait another decade to do so. I'm also curious to read other Updike novels, I'm a bit overwhelmed by the amount.