Books I'm reading--The Catcher in the Rye

I've decided it would be interesting to start keeping a journal of what I have been reading and what I think about what I've been reading and whether or not I'd ever want to read the thing again. On Sunday, two days ago, I reread Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. First, I remember liking the book very much whenever I read it before, probably in college. But I don't know; this time around, it just made me very depressed. I spent much of the day reading it, and by evening, I felt nearly as depressed, disjointed, and displaced as Holden. I mean, I get that it's about adolescent angst and all that; I appreciate the narrative voice; I think I see what Salinger is trying to do. But I can only take so much! On every other page, Holden talks about how lonely / depressed / suicidal he's feeling. And I get it; we're supposed to see into his mind. He's disturbed emotionally. In fact, we know from the beginning that he's been institutionalized for his psychological problems. I just can't get with it, I guess. Rather than interesting, the book simply strikes me as sad.

I know that's not the appropriate academic response. I could talk about Salinger's novel more academically, I suppose. I could talk about narrative theory or important themes or symbolism or even what the title tells us. But I just don't want to. The predominant feeling I have is merely one of sadness. Maybe that says as much about me as it does about the novel. I'm not sure.