Timequake

I'm not sure why Timequake is my favorite of Vonnegut's books. It's just so relaxing to read, and there are so many words of wisdom littered throughout.

Having read the bulk of Vonnegut's work (so many great books, so much clever, boisterous, mocking, incidental drivel...)Timequake felt like a cheat at first. More parts memoir than actual novel, Timequake must be differentiated between Timequake One (the dead version that balked birth) and Timequake Two (the revised performance). Intending this as his last novel (or so he says), Vonnegut gets a little crazier than usual and a lot nostalgic. The threading of his personal life experiences into the fabric of the novel make it hard at first to discern fact from fiction, and then you realize...It's Kurt f*cking Vonnegut! Who cares? Fact or fiction, it's all entertaining. Vonnegut is as wry and sardonic as ever. He talks a lot of sh*t here.... So, is KV done telling stories? Is Timequake to be the last real shot of his insightful wisdom of the world at hand? Is it worthy of a last novel by a modern-day genius? Tough questions. Let me answer them all with one word. Maybe. Is this is awesome as Breakfast Of Champions or Cat's Cradle or Slaughterhouse-Five? Hard to tell. All of Vonnegut's work, at least for me, sort of melds together into a single mishapen tapestry. Vonnegut is Vonnegut. His writing is addictive as nicotine or heroin. I gotta have it.

Other people may disagree, but in my humble opinion, this is one of the finest books ever written. I do not care to compare this book to his others. I view it as a unique masterpiece. His look at humanity and family, however, is a bit "less cynical" than the former Vonnegut. If you buy this book, be sure to focus in on the section where he discusses the Gettysburg address. It is fascinating and Kilgore's reaction is perfect. I have re-read this book many times and each time find a new bit of information that fascinates me. Even if you didn't like Vonnegut's past books (shame on you, though) I honestly feel that if you read this book optimistically, you will be a better person for it.

Vonnegut's novels were never tightly plotted or dizzlingly complex, and ever since The Sirens of Titans there's been less and less plot. But what we've gotten is more and more Vonnegut, which has turned out to be a good thing. His latest and (he says) his last novel turns out to be a hodgepodge of random musings, Vonnegut family history lessons, irrelevant asides and once in a while something that touches on a story. And somehow it works. The premise is that Vonnegut was trying to write a novel about everyone in the world being thrown back ten years and then being forced to relive those ten years. After it's over and time runs normally again, everyone is so used to not having free will that they don't know what to do. But that idea didn't take off and so we have this. Toeing the line between fact and fiction (among the best is the meeting between Vonnegut and longtime alter ego Kilgore Trout), this novel is more about Vonnegut than any other novel previously. He talks about life in general, speaks bluntly and warmly of his family, both living and dead, all in his easily read style, which makes pages fly past as you read but somehow they still manage to stick in your head. Yeah, it's not the innovation of Slaughterhouse-Five and the cutting cynicism of the earlier novels has been replaced by a sort of contented cynicism, as if his bitterness has settled on him like a comfortable old skin. There's nothing new here that you couldn't find in his other novels (all of which are highly recommended), even the structure is reminiscent of Breakfast of Champions, but the presentation is what counts here and everything comes across so effortlessly that it's a joy just to watch him put the novel together, even when chapters race past that are really only barely connected strings of random thoughts. More importantly it made me laugh outloud in more than a few spots, made me think in others and in some places was actually genuinely touching, something that's been missing in some of his latter day novels. Overall it's a fine extension of his work and while not his best, it's a great way to get acquainted or reacquainted with an author who's done some of the finest fiction of the last fifty years. If you're just getting to know Vonnegut, there's plenty more where this came from, and if you're coming from a long time back, you'll find plenty here that's familiar, but just as rewarding.

I have read the collection of Kurt Vonnegut's published books, all of which I've enjoyed. His style of writing is refreshing and simple. His unique style and biting wit always combine perfectly, allowing the reader to be both entertained by his fictional settings, and challenged by the profundity of his thoughts on life. Timequake is an exceptional book. Half novel, with the usual Vonnegut message and humor, and half life-diary of one of America's brilliant and most important writers.