My Salinger Year by Joanna Rakoff

I remember reading Franny and Zooey when I was in high school. I can still picture the white cover of the paperback and how grownup I felt that I was reading this very adult book. Unfortunately, I can't remember anything about the story itself, but at the time, I loved it.

So it was fun to read this memoir about a young woman who worked in the New York office that represented J. D. Salinger in the 90's. For me, the best parts of her story were those where Salinger was involved: the times he called on the phone or the time he appeared in her office. Unfortunately, the author had to stretch it out to make a book and so we also have to learn about her boyfriend and his writing struggles and her girlfriends who were so forgettable that I kept mixing them up. Basically, this would have made a nice essay - and in fact, I believe that is how the story started. And then someone suggested she make a book and there you are.... a nice story with a lot of extra stuff wrapped around it. But if you're a Salinger fan, or even if you love to hear about authors and the book world, it's an interesting read. - June