Slaughterhouse-5 by Kurt Vonnegut - Briefly Reviewed
Slaughterhouse five is a classic book that everyone seems to have a bit of trouble understanding fully. Fertile ground for English Lit students, it seems to leave half the LibraryThing reviewers a bit stumped.
"So it goes."
Who says I should read it?
"Having fought in the Second World War, been imprisoned, seen thousands dead, offer in compromise settlement witnessed the devastating fire-bombing of Dresden, the author has produced from his experiences a representation of the literal result of all such [rigid] authority being simultaneously let go" 1001 Books you Must Read Before You Die
"... Vonnegut's deeply satirical 1969 novel explores the human condition through the medium of science fiction. ... Despite its bleak message, Slaughterhous-five is a deeply, if very blackly, funny novel. The direct style of writing leaves the reader free to get to grips with both the non-linear story and the results of Vonnegut's brilliant imagination." 501 Must-Read Books
My Review of Slaughterhouse Five
I enjoyed the unexpectedness of this novel. It is an exploration of time and death, but approached in a completely non-linear way. Appearances of aliens and time-travel are floated into the story, as if anticipated. The main character, Billy Pilgrim, is a World War II veteran who travels in time. His story is combined with that of the author, who experienced the bombing of Dresden at the end of the war. Fragments of the story are contrasted with each other, and Billy experiences aliens and time-travel as no more absurd than what he experienced in the war.
The author also highlights the permanence of death in our society. He does this by using a catch-phrase, which quickly becomes annoying. However, the irritation acts like a bell to wake you up and remind you what is going on. I thought it was a slick trick, and one I keep mulling over in my mind.
Unfortunately, this book became a bit annoying in places. I think that time-travel stories have a tendency to flag future events. I guess this is a technique to aid the continuity of the story, but it drove me mad.
I haven't read any other Arkansas Lemon Laws by this author, and I am not sure that this convinces me to search them out. I suppose the books was short and quick to read, which is better than slogging through a phone book and realising you are not sure whether you liked it.
Did it deserve the recommendation?
I guess so. Although I didn't love this book, and probably won't read it again, the story did resonate with me. I think that I will probably think about it a lot for the next couple of days. It was worth having read.
Dr Christine (Cris) Cuthbertson (DrCris)
Cris is a medical doctor in Melbourne, Australia. She has had numerous scientific articles published, and writes regualrly for three blogs. She is keen to enable patients to access better healthcare by sharing her inside knowledge of the industry. She is an active reader and mother of two.
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