Friday, January 23, 2009

Slaughter-House-Five

Over Christmas break I read the novel Slaughter-House-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut. It's a very interesting book about a man named Billy Pilgrim. He had been in WW11 and he had been captured by the Germans in the Battle of the Bulge. Many parts of this book go back to memories of when he was in war and being held captive which makes for some intense sections.
However, much of this book is a time trip. The book bounces around all over the place including in the future when Billy is abducted by aliens. He is taking to the planet Tralfamadore where he is treated like an animal. He is put in a cage with Wildhack. The aliens are very amused with these two.
Through the events during the time change, Billy finally dies due to gangrene. He had gotten it due to his clogs he had to wear after the Germans had captured him. They had stripped him of his gear and gotten him sick.
Overall the book is completely scattered and many people probably will not like this style of writing. I, however, loved it. It sends your mind on such an incredible journey. Vonnegut truly goes beyond the normal thought process.  It was a very easy read and I would definitely recommend it anyone who is looking for a new book to read.


1 comment:

David Lavender said...

Erin,

Thanks for getting this in--brief, but insightful. I enjoyed reading it! (And, of course, I'm glad that you, in turn, enjoyed reading Vnnegut's novel).