Slapstick

Another great story by Kurt Vonnegut, such a great read and always insightful. Lots of great quotes in this one.

When reading Vonnegut, I find myself rethinking subjects I pass over in day-to-day life without a second thought. It makes me feel enlightened, like I have some unique perspective on the world. In reality, the only credit I deserve is for my choice of reading material. Vonnegut so effectively carries his reader to a different point from which to view the world that you barely notice that you didn't get there yourself. What could be a greater testament to an author than that? All of Vonnegut's novels accomplish the same feat, but this one does it more, or better. As this book wound down, I became sad - not because I didn't want the story to end, but because I didn't want the feeling of seeing the world from a unique place to end. Fortunately, once you put the book down, a lot of that new perspective stays with you. This is a great book for anyone who wants to see the world in ways they haven't before. Very highly recommended.

In the prologue, Vonnegut says that he wrote this book based on a dream he had while sleeping on a plane. The book has a dreamy feel to it, kind of a Lucy-in-a-Sky-with-Diamonds quality. The main narrator, Wilbur Daffodil-11 Swain, is a tall and hideously ugly monster. Like other monsters from other books (the monster in Frankenstein, the Devil in Paradise Lost, John Garder's Grendel, Hugo's Hunchback of Notre Dame), Wilbur is rejected from society. Wilbur is fortunate to have a twin sister with whom his interaction (like Yin and Yang), influences the destinies of creatures and things. Humanity, in its apparent self-righteousness and fear, separates the two. Wilbur is still smart enough to become a pediatrician, but he is only a shadow of his potential self. Vonnegut points out that monsters are okay as long as they don't want respect or to feel included. So, isn't it interesting that Wilbur becomes president of the United States with the campaign slogan of "Lonesome no more" and the platform of assigning each citizen to an extended family. To Vonnegut, a central course for societal improvement is the creation of artificial family groups to connect the masses and alleviate the lonely. In contrast to "individualism" and "objectivism," Vonnegut exalts the premise that life is made easier and more enjoyable when artificial family members are relied upon to provide sustenance and companionship. In Slapstick, Vonnegut proposes that our species is incapable of relationships without artificial governmental intervention. We are insular in our differences and innately callous towards each other. Briefly after Wilbur's apotheosis to President, the gravitational conditions begin to change like the pressure systems of weather. The United States collapses into kingdoms governed by local lords and there is a civil war. Apparently, Vonnegut does not expect his extended family initiative to end war, but he proposes that war would be more humane since everyone will know they have family members on the other side. During the battle, the soldiers that are hugging newly found relatives outnumber the soldiers that are shooting each other. As in other Vonnegut books, the ruthless pursuit of knowledge proves dangerous. The Chinese not only disrupt the steady pull of gravity into a debilitating ebb and flow, but they also make themselves smaller and smaller, becoming so small they can be inhaled. Unfortunately, an inhaled Chinese person is not good for you and a rampant new plague is created called Green Death. Eventually, "Green Death" causes the total destruction of everyone in New York City ("Sky Scraper National Park") with the exception of one extended family (Raspberry's) that developed an antidote. If inhaled china men and sixty-nining sibling monsters does not sound funny to you, then you may want to skip this one. Vonnegut presents the question that has been asked by Mary Shelley, John Milton, John Gardner, Victor Hugo and others: Are we monsters living

I am almost AFRAID to write this review, as "Slapstick" is my all-time favorite book, and I feel that an amateur review somehow cheapens it. This story covers a lot of territory in a short period of time, but, as is the case with 99% of Vonnegut's work (I exclude "Timequake"), it is all tied together into one perfectly flowing storyline.The main theme in "Slapstick" is lonliness, and the inexplicable human condition that forces each individual to search for acceptance into something bigger than just individual identity.If you've never read a Vonnegut book, this should be your first choice, as it is one of the best examples of Kurt Vonnegut's uncanny ability to make the reader laugh out loud at tragic/sad situations.

While Vonnegut himself criticized this book, giving it a low grade in his writing report card, I find it to be one of his two best (the other being Galapagos). Slapstick is one of the funniest books I have ever read, in addition to being a stunning example of how forced collectivism would affect the world.Vonnegut's books often make no sense on purpose. This annoyed me about Vonnegut when reading Slaughterhouse 5 and Breakfast of Champions. However, Slapstick has an impressively coherent plot. For all those who have complained that there is not enough unity or togetherness in the world, this book is an answer. The arbitrary collectivism imposed by the main character is disastrous to the nation. Everything regresses. While Vonnegut claimed to be an advocate of socialism, this book makes a well-defined argument against it. Vonnegut's works are not often read as intensely ideological, merely as humor, but satire implies ideas. This is one of my 20 favorite books, and that is exceedingly high praise.Vonnegut fans will enjoy the inherent satire in this book, as well as the usual cheap comic gimmicks (yes, you know the phrase involving flying donuts and the mooooooooooooon). However, those who dislike most of Vonnegut's work will find in Slapstick a thorouighly enjoyable, coherent ideological work. Even if you don't generally like Vonnegut's style, this book may very easily surprise you.

Vonnegut himself said he couldn't decide if this book was his worst - or his best.I love this one and it's my favorite Vonnegut book.In it he actually discusses his own life a good bit, and his relationship with his sister, with whom he was very close. I felt like I had a much better idea of who Vonnegut is after reading this one. The two main characters are very engaging, and the story is classic Vonnegut -- you gotta love people despite all their faults. The story is post-Apocalyptic, as so many of his stories are, but it has a more positive feel to it than many of them, despite the poor circumstances the people are in. The message that life goes on is a hopeful one. I found the relationship between the main characters to be very thought-provoking. I think the critics vilified this one when it was first published, and I can't say that if you like Vonnegut you'll love this one -- because even some of his fans didn't like this one so much.But if you like the idea of 2 soulmates being better together than they are separately, and if you've a fondness for the idiosyncracies of geniuses, you might like this one as much as I did.