John Updike is one of the handful of American writers who is recognized by
almost anyone beyond the most casual reader. As a writer he is equally adept
at literary criticism, poetry, and subjects ranging from adultery to golf.
Perhaps his best known work is the multi-volume chronicle of the life of
Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom. In four separate novels Updike covers the life of
Angstrom from his youth as a star basketball player to his adult life during
the social and sexual revolutions of the 1960s to his middle age financial
success to retirement and finally death. Throughout Updike's works, one finds
the gentle observations of American life and customs. He constantly asks the
reader to reconsider common preconceptions of contemporary society. To read
John Updike is to confront the countless issues that are often discussed
around coffee and lunch tables as well as Internet chat rooms in every town
and community in America.
LICKS OF LOVE is Updike's latest effort to discuss his favorite themes. It is
a collection of 12 short stories and a novella that once again brings back
the memory of "Rabbit" Angstrom. The short stories revisit many favorite
Updike locales and situations. "The Women Who Got Away," "New York Girl," and
"Licks of Love in the Heat of the Cold War" all find characters involved in
adulterous affairs. Favorite Updike issues of marriage and betrayal, love,
sex, and guilt all appear. In many instances the characters, like the author,
are older and reflective of past life and long ago experiences.
Other stories take place in small Pennsylvania communities, the towns of
Updike's youth. In "Lunch Hour" we read of a high school reunion that
triggers memories of a man and his attempts to enter the world of the cool
crowd at his school. In many respects this story represents one of Updike's
strengths. He writes in a way that causes the reader to identify and recall
incidents from their own life. This ability to strike personal chords is one
of the talents that make Updike a joy to read.
"Rabbit Remembered" is the major reason for reading this collection. For many
who mourned the passing of Harry Angstrom in both a literary and personal
sense, it is another opportunity to visit with the Angstrom clan and to
recall again episodes from Harry's life. We meet characters seeking to come
to terms with the death of a husband, father, and friend, while at the same
time confronting the remainder of their lives.
Harry's wife Janice has remarried Ronnie Harrison, who was married to Harry's
lover Thelma. Harry's son Nelson, now 42, is divorced and living with his
mother. A recovered cocaine addict, Nelson now works as a counselor at a
clinic for patients with emotional problems. Prudence, Nelson's former wife,
has moved to Akron, Ohio along with their two children. From his infrequent
contacts with his 14-year-old son Roy, one finds a relationship almost
identical to the relationship between Harry and Nelson, with elements of
love, ineptness, and guilt all present.
Into this mix arrives Annabelle, the daughter of a woman named Ruth and the
product of the affair between her mother and Harry. Janice views the woman,
now 40, as another in a line of events where Harry continues to disrupt her
life. She will have nothing to do with Annabelle, but Nelson has the opposite
attitude. He opens up to Annabelle and shares memories of Harry's life with
her, and the stories he shares with his half-sister encompass both the good
and the bad, the bitter and the sweet. It is an opportunity for Nelson to
make peace with his father in a way that will help him free himself from his
past life as well. As the reader recalls the life of Harry Angstrom, the
memories that are rekindled serve as a reminder of why the saga of "Rabbit"
occupies a significant role in 20th century American literature.
There is a certain sadness to reading LICKS OF LOVE. As one encounters aging
characters, many of whom must confront their own mortality, one realizes that
writers with the talent of John Updike cannot write forever. This is
certainly our last episode with "Rabbit" Angstrom, and we will miss him
dearly. If only for "Rabbit Remembered," this is a book to be read and
savored and cherished.
--- Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman
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