IS Literature

Kurt Vonnegut: Slaughter-House Five

"It is so short and jumbled and jangled, because there is nothing intelligent to say about a massacre."  - Chapter 1, Slaughter-House Five

When reading Vonnegut, there is no book you should miss out by the renowned modern writer, but Slaughter-House Five is a good place to start. One of Vonnegut’s most famous works, it deals with controversial issues revolving around war, humanity, cruelty, free will, and perspective. It is a truly dark novel at times, but Vonnegut’s clever writing takes on thought-provoking issues as it draws you into the rich plot and life of a haunted Billy Pilgrim, a veteran of World War 2 who has become “unstuck in time.”

Indeed the take on the concept of time and how we see it is a central concept throughout the novel, and first introduced when Billy is “kidnapped by aliens” called “Tralfamadorians”, and the wisdom they share with Billy is mentioned several times during the story. The story is told in lapses, as Billy Pilgrim “jumps” through time, from his terrible memories of war to his relatively normal life beforehand, to everything and anything in between.

Loosely based on some of Vonnegut's own experiences and memories, Slaughter-House Five is a challenging but rewarding novel for older readers.