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| Image from www.amazon.co.uk |
Kurt Vonnegut
Written in 1969, it took author Vonnegut more than 20 years to put his experience of the bombing of Dresden in World War 2 into words. He was an American prisoner of war in Dresden, being held in a disused meat plant, known as Slaughterhouse 5, and emerged after the fire-bombing of the city. As the author says, ‘All of this happened, more or less’.
The novel follows the experiences of optometrist Billy Pilgrim, a decidedly non-heroic man, who has become ‘unstuck in time’. He travels back and forth visiting his birth, death and all the moments in-between repeatedly and out of order, but always coming back to his experiences in the war and particularly in Dresden. Billy is also abducted by aliens, who transport him back to the planet Tramalfadore to become a prize exhibit in a zoo. The aliens teach him that time is linear and we experience different points in our lives over and over again.
I found this novel confusing, weird, imaginative, moving but surprisingly easy to read due to its simple, laconic style. Part anti-war tract, part autobiography, part sci-fi with a good deal of black humour, I felt that it needed a second reading to fully appreciate the big themes Vonnegut is addressing – the concept of time, fate and above all the horror and futility of war. Not a book I’d recommend for readers who like a straightforward plot and time line, but one for those who like a challenge! Can certainly be classed as ‘cult fiction’.
Cath
