Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut is considered a classic American literature science fiction novel. I've heard about it for years and knew it was a book I had to read, according to the literary gurus who spout off about the must-read books to be a well-rounded person. Many of these must-read books are books that I too believe everyone should read. Many of these must-read books, like To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies, The Catcher in the Rye, Brave New World, and Shakespeare's plays, are certainly powerful literary forces that must be read by any adult who wishes to call him/herself an educated and worldly intellect. I must say that I do not think that Slaughterhouse Five should be in the same category or held in the same regard as the aforementioned pieces of life-changing literature.

Don't misunderstand me. Slaughterhouse Five is a good book. Vonnegut's writing is brilliant and unique. He's both witty and serious at the same time. He writes with deep clarity about some truly disturbing moments in World War II. I just don't see why this novel is so revered. It's good, but I don't think it's great or life-changing. I am always hesitant to pick up a "classic" American writer's work because they are often over-inflated and overly admired. Surprisingly, as an English teacher, I don't particularly like Ernest Hemingway, another one of America's great writers. I find these Great American Writers are pompous and it shows through in their writing.

Nevertheless, this novel is worth the read because the story is interesting and unique. I certainly have not read a book like this one ever. It's quite strange and I can appreciate the author's creativity and brilliance. His writing is both lyrical and satirical.

This novel is centered on the life of Billy Pilgram who travels through time and the universe, living an oddly compelling and strangely sad life. Pilgram's life is described by a narrator who is detached and objective about Billy's travels. This narrator describes the horrors of WWII, civilian casualties, and debilitating bombings, particularly the horrific bombing of Dresden, Germany. Billy also travels through time from past to present to future reliving moments in his life, including his death, several times. Billy also travels from Earth to the distant planet of Tralfamadore where he is held captive by the Tralfamadorians with a beautiful model in a zoo where they are encouraged to procreate so the Tralfamdorians can study their behaviours and mating patterns.

As a fan of WWII historical fiction, I enjoyed learning about the bombing of Dresden, something with which I was rather unfamiliar. However, as someone who generally doesn't like science-fiction novels, I could have done without the travels to Tralfamadore, because it really didn't advance the plot or provide any entertainment for me. The time traveling, though, was actually interesting and captivating because we see bits and pieces of events and then return to them much later, making the novel more suspenseful. What I didn't like, however, was that the narrator would describe a person or event and then tell his audience that this character would die or that person would do such-and-such. So, we would learn about a person's fate early on, but only learn later what actually happened to the character to create that fate. I really don't like when authors give away pertinent details too early. I appreciate foreshadowing, but I don't appreciate blatant spoilers.

I am rating this book 3.5/5. I like it but I don't love it. I'm glad I read it and I do highly recommend it, but I will quickly forget it because it didn't leave a lasting impression on me. I will probably forget it quickly since it didn't impact me or change my life in any way.