The Catcher in the Rye Summary and Analysis The Catcher in the Rye is an American novel written by J.D. Salenger, and is about a dysfunctional teenager named Holden Caulfield. Holden spends most of the book roaming the streets of New Yourk City. Holden suffers from mental depression and is on a course toward a mental breakdown. He becomes delusional and finds himself walking the streets talking to his dead brother. Holden is in search of peace away from the ugliness of the real world. The Catcher in the Rye – Summary The Catcher in the Rye is narrated by Holden Caulfield, a sixteen year-old boy recuperating in