Kurt Vonnegut
1969
Around 190 pages
It's tough to write about one of my favorite novels by one of my favorite authors. I just want to gush and ooze all over the page, which can get pretty gross. This appears to be his most celebrated work (at least, I've seen the most tattoos for this one) and it's easy to see why so many people connect with his voice. Kurt Vonnegut ties with Douglas Adams as the funniest writer on the List.
We start off with one of the best opening lines in literature: "All this happened, more or less." The story is non-linear, and mostly focuses on Billy Pilgrim, an American soldier/alien abductee during World War II who occasionally travels through time.
Like Brautigan before him, Vonnegut realizes that if he is going to tell such an outlandish story, he has to keep his sentences short and direct. For this reason, it's such a quotable novel, with simple philosophy that resonates on an individual level. My personal favorite is "Everything is nothing, with a twist."
I tend to be generally pessimistic in my world view, but this is one of those novels that makes me feel better about life, even with Vonnegut's trademark dark humor. And I love it when authors create their own universe with recurring characters and locations.
I prefer using art to construct my philosophies, rather than religion, and this book is a vital ingredient in my morality soup.
RATING: *****
Interesting Facts:
When confronted with the question of how the desire to improve the world fits with the notion of time presented in Slaughterhouse-Five, Vonnegut responded "you understand, of course, that everything I say is horseshit."
Adapted into a film in 1972, which received critical acclaim but flopped commercially.
UP NEXT: Blind Man with a Pistol by Chester Himes
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