Mostly I want to say that I will miss the hell out of John Updike. I haven't loved every single thing he's written, but the ones I've liked have stayed with me a long time. I even enjoyed his critical pieces because they were usually humorous as well as informative. If Updike said something sucked, it usually did. Many writers don't make good critics. And many good critics don't make good writers. He could do both. A great gift.
I loved the Bech books. I know everyone else loved Rabbit Angstrom, and I had some affection for him too. But Bech was oversized and amusing. He always caused his own predicaments while Rabbit suffered from omission not comission of sin. In the "real world" people like Rabbit irritate me. So no matter how good the writing, I was always slightly annoyed with him. Bech amused me no end.
I'd like to think that another book starring Bech was around the corner. What a horrible thought that it is not.
