The book chronicles two days in the life of a troubled teen, and he spends those days trying to figure out what direction he would like his life to take. He never seems to get anywhere with those thoughts, however. The death of his brother several years before has profoundly affected him, and nothing seems to make sense any more. That's why everyone seems so "phony" to him - with his emotions so torn up all the time, he feels as if no one gets it or him. It's teenage angst to the hilt, but he has a better reason than most. Hope the shrink can help him break on through to the other side.
And now, I'm depressed - unfortunately, the next book on the list is The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. I am NOT looking forward to reading this book again, but maybe I will gain an appreciation for him that is DEFINITELY not there right now. This is the last of the books that made 9 of the 11 lists, but I think it's there just because people think they're supposed to like it.
This book, written in 1929, was apparently not successful right away (there's a big surprise - all it did was give me a headache!), but now some consider it the greatest American novel. Why, I don't know, but I will suck it up and re-read it. Don't be surprised, however, if it takes me a LONG time to get through it.
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