Release Date: March 1969
Publisher: Dial Press Trade Paperback (This edition)
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5
Kurt Vonnegut's absurdist classic Slaughterhouse-Five introduces us to Billy Pilgrim, a man who becomes unstuck in time after he is abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. In a plot-scrambling display of virtuosity, we follow Pilgrim simultaneously through all phases of his life, concentrating on his (and Vonnegut's) shattering experience as an American prisoner of war who witnesses the firebombing of Dresden.
Don't let the ease of reading fool you - Vonnegut's isn't a conventional, or simple, novel. He writes, "There are almost no characters in this story, and almost no dramatic confrontations, because most of the people in it are so sick, and so much the listless playthings of enormous forces. One of the main effects of war, after all, is that people are discouraged from being characters."
Slaughterhouse-Five is not only Vonnegut's most powerful book, it is also as important as any written since 1945. Like Catch- 22, it fashions the author's experiences in the Second World War into an eloquent and deeply funny plea against butchery in the service of authority.Slaughterhouse-Five boasts the same imagination, humanity, and gleeful appreciation of the absurd found in Vonnegut's other works, but the book's basis in rock-hard, tragic fact gives it a unique poignancy - and humor. - Goodreads
Why was it banned?
Slaughterhouse Five, since it was written, has always been subject to controversy and censorship due to its language, sexual and irreligious themes, use of outdated but nevertheless offensive terms, and for its portrayal of US soldiers in WWII. Over the years it has been a regular presence on the Banned Books list and will probably continue to be so.
Why did you choose it?
Haha. Ha. *shifty eyes*
Okay, so a couple of months ago I came across a pretty famous Dean/Castiel fanfiction. In it, Dean is a late night radio show presenter who talks about a variety of subjects, mostly music but sometimes books. And one of his favourite authors is Kurt Vonnegut. He talks about two of his books specifically - Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse Five. The way the author of the fic wrote about these books really got me interested, even more so because Vonnegut's been referenced on Supernatural a few times.
The moral of the story here is that I can basically find book recommendations just about anywhere.
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I've never actually read anything quite like Slaughterhouse Five; it's pretty much a unique book in as far as it's written, I think. The novel gives you two points of view but only one narrator - our main character, Billy Pilgrim, is a fictional character who was a soldier in WWII and found himself captured as a POW by the Germans. As well as thousands of other POWs, Billy is taken to Dresden for the duration of his capture and is present during the Dresden air raids which decimated the city.
