I don’t know how an English major in college and graduate school never read this before, but it has happened. What a story!

Muriel Glass is vacationing in Florida with her husband Seymor who is suffering from PTSD from World War II. In a powerful master class on showing not telling, Salinger gives hints throughout the story that something is just not right with Seymour. Muriel’s mom calls her up and begs her to leave and come home, worried that Seymour’s odd behavior is way more serious than Muriel seems to think it is. But Muriel blows it off, saying that even though a psychiatrist staying at the hotel (who watched Seymour play piano and felt there was something off about him) asked if he was OK, she still thinks he’s alright. Well, aside from him being pale and wearing a robe all the time to, as he says, hide his tattoo (which he doesn’t have). We see Seymour in action when he’s lying on the beach in his robe and befriends a young girl, who he ends up taking out on a float. He compliments her blue swimsuit (it’s really yellow) and tells her about the bananafish who swim into banana-sized holes and eat bananas. It’s an ominous scene b/c you think he’s going to do something to her, but thankfully he doesn’t. He does end up going back to his room, where Muriel is asleep.

I won’t spoil the ending but WOW...again. The tension is strong in this story as the fear for everyone in Seymour’s path keeps increasing. Salinger does a great job building the suspense. Also the little (tattoo, swimsuit color) and big (bananafish, robe) signs of Seymour’s illness as well placed and add to the overall suspense. This is truly a great short story. Compact, wonderfully written, compelling, and entertaining. Just perfect from start to finish.