> Brendan, you may be interested in an essay from Studies in Short Fiction > by Eberhard Alsen called "RHTRBC and the Amateur Reader." Alsen works from > the claim that RHTRBC is "the most story-like" of salinger's later, longer > fiction as well. will Good advice. I, too, LOVE the story. It manages to incorporate Glass tics -- some of them, the least distracting (though I confess that I love THOSE ELEMENTS too, when I'm in that mood) -- and also be lovable and deeply evocative of a time and place that is long gone. And it shows that no matter how "coming apart at the seams" Salinger seems to be in his later work, he could still write a tight, professional, deeply moving story. Which is why this one holds up so well after many, many readings. It's life-affirming without sounding like a lecture. And it shows us that the author has not forgotten how to create memorable characters and situations. --tim (glad to be talking about the work again, and not the peripherals)