"Slaughter-house Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
Perhaps somewhat unconventional, Slaughterhouse-Five tells us the famous story of Billy Pilgrim, a veteran of the Second World War and a POW (Prisoner Of War), who has become unstuck in time and is reliving various events of his personal chronology in no particular order… and in some cases, he relives these events simultaneously.
The story mostly takes place inside Billy’s head, who after being traumatized by the Dresden bombing drifts through a number of historical events, with his role ranging from a mere witness to someone who is directly implicated in the actions.As is the tradition with Vonnegut books, there is a very large cast of characters, many of which recur time and time again throughout the story.
The sci-fi author Kilgore Trout and the aliens referred to as Tralmafadorians, who apparently look over his life, constantly reminding him that the concept of causation doesn’t necessarily exist, there is no order in the universe, and that there is no objective motivation for us to keep on existing.
The story mostly takes place inside Billy’s head, who after being traumatized by the Dresden bombing drifts through a number of historical events, with his role ranging from a mere witness to someone who is directly implicated in the actions.As is the tradition with Vonnegut books, there is a very large cast of characters, many of which recur time and time again throughout the story.
The sci-fi author Kilgore Trout and the aliens referred to as Tralmafadorians, who apparently look over his life, constantly reminding him that the concept of causation doesn’t necessarily exist, there is no order in the universe, and that there is no objective motivation for us to keep on existing.
As Pilgrim goes on through his memories he tries to find some kind of meaning to his life, and he kind of does upon meeting a mysterious beauty by the name of Montana Wildhack. After having a child with her, they all decide to travel to a supernatural plane where they are reunited with Kilgore, the Tralmafadorians, and the ruins of Dresden, after which they all dissipate throughout the infinite plains of existence.
As you can imagine, this isn’t your run-of-the-mill novel as apart from presenting a seldom-seen type of story it also touches on complex philosophical concepts which people have been debating about for centuries, such as whether or not causation is real, whether there is order in the universe, and why we exist. While this isn’t exactly a relaxing read for a lazy afternoon, it is very interesting and will offer you not only a compelling story but also some interesting perspectives on life itself.
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Kurt Vonnegut
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