Closing Time: The Sequel to Catch-22

Definitely read if you enjoyed Catch-22. It's not as good as the first which is probably why you don't hear it as much. But I enjoyed it! Although books from this era are my favorite so I may be biased.

If you're looking for a zany follow-up to Catch-22, don't get your hopes up with this one. Closing Time is a wonderful take on life. I was rarely bored while reading it, but some of Heller's stabs at politics (George Bush) felt a little forced and unnecessary. I first read samples from this book in Catch As Catch Can, a collection of Heller's short stories, and I was a little put-off at first. This book is just exquisite; it really captures (what I perceive will be) old age with so many insightful passages. It's not laugh-out-loud funny like Catch-22, it's more philosophical and has different goals than that novel did. It is superbly constructed (as you would expect from any Heller novel), and has wonderful imagery, characters, metaphors, etc. Very high tier as far as fiction goes.

I suppose the title of this review is a bit hyperbolic... nothing could be worthy of Catch-22, one of the greatest novels ever written. However, people disappointed that it's not as good are mising a brilliant novel, one of the best since Catch-22 became a hit.The writing style will instantly remind you of Catch-22, particularly when Milo Minderbinder, his son M2, and Wintergreen are in the spotlight and the classic surreal humor Milo brought to the first book reappears in full force.Sammy Singer, best known in Catch-22 for fainting every time he saw Yossarian working with the dying Howard Snowden, becomes one of the major characters of Closing Time, as does his friend Lew Rabinowitz; both make only minor appearences in the main story, but their side story proves as enjoyable as the plot itself. Also important to the main storyline is Jerry "Senor" Gaffney, whose all-seeing detective agency is really just a cover for his Real Estate business (that's where the money is.)Having read Catch-22 and Closing Time back to back, I don't see Catch-22 with the same rose-colored glasses some might; while Closing Time certainly falls short of its predecessor's genius and social importance, it is nearly as entertaining a novel.

It is almost funny that this would be described as a sequel toCatch-22, when it is not a sequel at all. It seems to me that Hellermerely took a few of the characters from Catch-22 and dropped them into another story. Does that make it a sequel? No, there is irony in the fact that he stole characters from everything he felt like. Death in Venice, or Dr. Strangelove, and Kurt Vonnegut himself, because I think Heller is making a comment on all of us, not on the characters. Has anyone noticed besides myself that the Chaplain's name is different in the two books? The modern world is obsessed with profiting from others' work. It is a satire, people. A satire takes a situation, and sends it spiraling out of control. Hell under New York? Or is New York Hell? The Little Pr**k? And the fact that characters can exist in their own realm of logic, and force the world to work around them...Not a traditional narrative, a satire. He even put himself in the book. Steal from whatever you want, as long as it makes a profit. Evidence, you ask? Ever listen to a word from Milo's mouth? Cheer up, all of you disapointed Catch-22 fans. Joey Heller is leading you down a path, and the more you recognize it, them more you will enjoy it.

When I read Catch-22, I came away laughing uproariously. When I discovered that there was a sequel, I immediately knew that I would have to read it. Having finished it, I have analyzed it to some extent, and I think that it may be too close too home for many people to fully appreciate it's comedic properties. Remember that Catch-22 was released in or around 1955, remember also that it recieved some horrible reviews. My point is that If Catch-22 has grown more beloved with the passage of time, might not the same be true of Closing Time? Looking back on the book, I can see how much of it might be funny to an outside observer. However, it seems that it is harder for those of us who are living within the realm of the book to appreciate it. Sort of like how you can't see all America if you're standing in Denver. I truly liked the book and reccomend it to anyone who has read Catch-22. And even those who haven't. But if you're about to read it for the first time, remember, it isn't Catch-22. Don't expect it to be