Rabbit At Rest

RABBIT AT REST
by John Updike

 Awards: National Book Critics Circle Winner 1990, Pulitzer Winner 1991

Nomination: NY Times Finalist 1990
Dates Read: August 31, 2007 & August 30, 2017

 And so continues the saga of Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom, who is now in the sunset of his life. With his body slowly failing him, having suffered a heart attack, Harry is having to confront the limitations of an aging body. He is also thrust into a confrontation with his son, Nelson, who's drug habit is in full bloom and having gained control of the auto dealership, has been embezzling money, causing Harry to lose the business.

 Tragedy and reckoning continue throughout this novel, as Harry faces up to many past decisions that now haunt him. Fortunately for Harry, on his deathbed, he reconciles with his wife, Janice, and his son.

 In my opinion, what makes these novels so unique is that Harry is so vividly real, with all the poor decision making and flawed relationships of every human on the planet. I keep hoping for Harry to come to some wisdom or insight that elevates his plane of existence, yet that moment never seems to come. Through all of this, though, I continue with hating to love this man, and relish the fact that he will live on in the pages of these novels.

 Looking Forward: Bech, The Centaur, The Coup, The Poorhouse Fair, Rabbit Redux, Rabbit Run, Roger's Version
Looking Back: Rabbit Is Rich

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Magnificence

Image
MAGNIFICENCE by Lydia Millet Nominations: LA Times Finalist 2012, National Book Critics Circle Finalist 2012 Date Read: March 10, 2025 From Kirkus Reviews: “Mi llet’s conclusion of the trilogy that includes  How the Dead Dream   (2008) and  Ghost Lights   (2011) draws a detailed map of the healing process of an adulterous wife who suddenly finds herself a widow. Susan’s husband, Hal, goes to Belize in search of Susan’s employer ,T., a real estate tycoon who has gone missing. (Spoiler alert: Readers of the earlier novels who don’t want to know what happens to T. or Hal, stop reading now.) Hal’s quest is successful: T. returns to Los Angeles. But he’s alone, because Hal has been fatally knifed in a mugging. Susan is both grief- and guilt-stricken. She genuinely loved Hal but has been seeking sex with other men ever since a car accident left their daughter, Casey, a paraplegic. She believes Hal went to Belize largely to recover after discovering her infidelity. Millet’s...
Read more

Bottled Goods

Image
BOTTLED GOODS by Sophie Van Llewyn   Nomination: Women's Prize Longlist 2019   Date Read: April 14, 2022   A newlywed couple, very much in love and looking forward to their future together, become caught up in circumstances beyond their control. Alina yearns for nothing more than perfume and some Levi’s. Liviu just wants to live his life and enjoy the company of his wife and brother, who visits them nearly every night. But in the blink of an eye, the brother has sold his belongings and fled to Paris, sidestepping the oppressive regime of Ceaușescu’s Romania.    The brother’s defection puts Alina and Liviu under government scrutiny, believing that this couple know more about the brother’s plans than they are letting on. Of course, Alina and Liviu don’t know a thing but this puts stress on their marriage, pressure on their teaching jobs and tension within their family.    Alina suddenly finds herself entertaining a Secret Service agent every Tuesday, as ...
Read more

Away From You

Image
AWAY FROM YOU by Melanie Finn   Nominations: Dublin Longlist 2006, Women's Prize Longlist 2005   Date Read: July 15, 2022   Ellie left her roots in Africa and never looked back. That is, until her father dies and she is summoned to settle his estate. An abusive alcoholic, Helen, Ellie’s mother, had no choice but to leave John to keep Ellie and herself safe. But the emotional scars are still there for anyone to not see. They don’t see because Ellie never lets anyone close enough to see.    When she arrives in Nairobi, the memories come flooding back to her of her childhood growing up in a volatile Africa, on the cusp of independence but still very much living the colonial reality the British would, obviously, like to maintain. Even for those cherished by their families, the racism between whites and blacks runs rampant and was often shocking to read.   In addition to settling her father’s estate, Ellie is determined to get to the bottom of a murder she has l...
Read more