The Rabbit series is an exceptional literary effort. About every ten years, Updike published a new installment with Rabbit aging as much as the author and always taking place in the then present time, giving a snapshot of the USA every change of a decade from approx. 1960 to 1990. Rabbit at Rest is the official final novel of the series.
I have to applaud Updike for this idea and format as it fits in perfectly with my idea that the best time to read a book is when you are about the age the author was when he wrote the book and the most believable protagonists are those who are close to the author. One effect of the series progression is growing closer to Rabbit with each consecutive book, another one is Rabbit getting closer to my age with this one being the first one in which he’s slightly older than I am today. Rabbit at Rest accordingly is my favourite of the series with Rabbit’s issues being most related to my own personal issues. Many roads have closed. Life is getting narrower. You experience limits that haven’t been there before, physically as well as interpersonal.
If there’s a difference to the previous books, it’s the even more extensive descriptions of Rabbit’s experiences, thoughts and dreams providing scope to the character. There’s an undeniable tilt to the American experience of the time but simultaneously the experience of growing and aging is universal enough to have relevance for non-Americans as well. After reading through all four novels, I felt like a close friend of Rabbit and his family and it’s with a bit of sadness that I have to say goodbye to him for good.