Rabbit is Rich

The third part of a five-book series by John Updike..

Rabbit Run

Rabbit Redux

Rabbit is Rich

Rabbit at Rest
Rabbit Remembered

I've read the previous ones, still need to read the last part, but going to of course. 

John Updike writes from a manly point of view, you experience the life of Harry (Rabbit) Angstrom as he finally has some luck in his life. 

As the previous novel (Rabbit Redux) ends with him back with his wife, this novel starts off with him doing quite well selling Toyota's while the oil crisis is rampaging through the seventies. 

His son, Nelson, is of an age to almost graduate from college, but he's making mistakes, coming back home to shelter from the harsh reality of adult life. To Harry this is an unwelcome change in his routine, not happy with his son back from Ohio. He's trying to make the boy see that the world is out there ready to explore, but Nelson is too frustrated to grab the chances given him. 

In the end he makes the same mistakes that Harry made at that age, and Harry has no idea how to respond. 

While this goes on, he is still sort of happy with his wife Janice, all the while fantasising about the daughter he thinks he has with Ruth (Rabbit Run). One time he thinks he's spotted her and wants to be sure, ending in a very down to earth conversation. 

He's made new friends too and his old wayward ways haven't entirely disappeared. He's got too much eyes for the wife of a friend, not enough for another and the wrong kind for his own wife, which tend to cause emotionally a lot of strain on his relationships.

In the end, you can sum up the Rabbit books as being part of the male psychology and all the insecurities, abnormalities and quirks it comes with.

Being female myself last time I checked, I found John Updike his novels very refreshing. I can actually picture men thinking like this. Possibly not all men, I hope not anyway, but a good percentage of them out there, really are that superficial from time to time and they really don't mind us getting older, as long as we don't let ourselves go in the process. 

I'm still a fan!