Run, Rabbit, Run

Rabbit, Run by John Updike

Rabbit Run is a novel from 1960 about a 'common man' living in suburban PA.  This is my first Updike book and I have a mixed review.  The author has a poetic style of prose and the story is wonderfully illustrated with words.  The story starts with our main character, Rabbit, a suburban father and husband, on the run from a life of responsibility.  The story follows Rabbit through his feelings of doubt and 'live for the day' divulgences while feeling trapped in the suburbs with his wife and family (including in-laws).  He's almost a guilty Dean Moriarty that can't decide whether to hitch a ride west in a boxcar or settle down with the wife and kids for a mundane life without meaning. I had a hard time sympathizing with Rabbit and it made the book difficult to read, to the point I'm not sure I want to read the sequels (next up - Rabbit Redux).  I would probably sympathize with his wife or mistress, but they have their own smattering of faults.  Rabbits wife, Janice, comes off as a nag and his mistress, Ruth, knows what she is getting into from the start.  Updike develops the characters more than the plot.  The entire cast has me teetering between sympathy and disgust throughout the book while the writing propels me to read the sequel.  As a self-proclaimed (or admitted?) feminist, the context of 1950s small town America through Updike's 1960s eyes is disturbingly chauvinist.  Rabbit is constantly forgiven for even the most reprehensible behavior while his wife is expected to harbor blame (even from her mother) for their failing marriage. 

Plot: 2.5 stars; Character development: 4 stars; Overall: 3 stars