Franny and Zooey - JD Salinger

Paperback book
Penguin 2010 (Copyright 1955/7, First Penguin 1964)

‘Everything everybody does is so - I don’t know - not wrong, or even mean, or even stupid necessarily.  But just so tiny and meaningless and - sad-making.  And the worst part is, if you go bohemian or something crazy like that, you’re conforming just as much only in a different way.’

First published in The New Yorker as two sequential stories, Franny and Zooey offer a dual portrait of the two youngest members of J. D. Salinger’s fictional Glass family.

Franny Glass is a pretty, effervescent college student on a date with her intellectually confident boyfriend, Lane.  They appear to be the perfect couple, but as they struggle to communicate with each other about the things they really care about, slowly their true feelings come to the surface.  The second story in this book, ‘Zooey’, plunges us into the world of her ethereal, sophisticated family.  When Franny’s emotional and spiritual doubts reach new heights, her older brother Zooey, a misanthropic former child genius, offers her consolation and brotherly advice.

Written in Salinger’s typically irreverent style, these two stories offer a touching snapshot of the distraught mindset of early adulthood and are full of the insightful emotional observations and witty turns of phrase that have helped make Salinger’s reputation what it is today.

Condition:
The book is in good general condition.  The cover has very slight edge and corner wear and faint surface marks.  Inside, the book has the dedication circled in ink, a small chunk missing from last (blank) page, slight scratching to outside edge of pages, minor marks and wear and slight age browning.  The pages appear to be in good, tight, clean condition.