Slaughterhouse-Five

Kurt Vonnegut
Slaughterhouse-Five - $5.70
1969

Kurt Vonnegut was an american novelist, satirist and POW in World War 2. He wrote numerous novels, short story collections, essays and screenplays. He is best known for his novel Slaughterhouse-Five which is number 18 in the Modern Library’s 100 Best Novels.

So what is Slaughterhouse-Five? Is it a dark comedy, an anti war novel, a metafiction, or science fiction? Well, it is all these things, it is complex in structure yet simple to understand and a pleasure to read. You have to go along for the ride with Vonnegut. He has a way of finding humor in everything, even death; so much so that his writings are called Gallows Humor.

There is a recurring reference to death in the book, “So it goes.” Every time someone dies or there is any mention of death “So it goes” appears. This leads to some funny moments when he references inanimate objects and says “So it goes.”

“The Champagne was dead. So it goes.”

The novel begins with the narrator trying to write a war novel and quickly changes to science fiction. The narrator could be Vonnegut himself but that can also be a fiction. The story begins as a metafiction about writing a novel and ends with time travelling aliens. So it goes. For more on metafiction see my post here.

“All this happened, more or less. The war parts anyway, are pretty much true. One guy I knew really was shot in Dresden for taking a teapot that wasn't his. Another guy I knew really did threaten to have his personal enemies killed by hired gunmen after the war. And so on. I've changed all the names.”

Every person that I have recommended this novel to loves it. The story jumps around a lot but never to the point of being confusing. The humor comes at unexpected points that will keep you reading. This book has also been subject to numerous attempts at censorship, including a supreme court case specifically mentioning Slaughterhouse-Five.

Kurt Vonnegut was also quite popular appearing in many cameo roles in films, including a few of his novels adaptations. Slaughterhouse-Five was made into a film in 1972. Guillermo Del Toro has shown interest in remaking the 1972 movie adaptation. The novel is one of Vonnegut’s best work and an American masterpiece. This is modern literature at its best.

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