Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Okay ... I am not a big fan of the fractured narrative style (jumping back and forth through time). That said … Vonnegut pulls it off better than most. I can't really say that I enjoyed it that much; however, it has been awhile since I have encountered the supporting pseudo-stream of consciousness writing style and I found it mildly entertaining … Vonnegut’s sardonic humor helped immensely here.
Of the story itself … the book is characterized as an anti-war book; however, I felt it had more of an amoral tone then anything (with the possible exception being his discussion with his sons concerning massacres). That is, it was more of an eye witness report then a heart felt condemnation, leaving the reader free to impose whatever moral framework desired so long as the factual events were not dismissed. In that respect, I found myself draw into the story with a rubbernecker’s morbid sense of curiosity where it was safe to look because I was not actually involved. This was where the fractured narrative style really helped; it allowed the reader to explore events that were obviously tragic without overwhelming the reader with an extended emotional response … Vonnegut would just barely touch the ‘dark-side’ before zooming away toward lighter faire.
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