Slaughterhouse-5 is an incredibly well-written novel and one of my favorite works by Kurt Vonnegut. In his novel, he explores the meaning of life (and no, I’m not kidding), World War II, time travel, and more. Slaughterhouse-5 is brilliant and complex, but not hard to understand. Vonnegut introduces serious themes of war and violence and approaches them in his writing with a humorous tone.
Vonnegut uses his main character, Billy Pilgrim, to retell his stories of being a prisoner of war and his experience with the firebombing in Dresden, Germany. Billy Pilgrim is stuck in a constant loop of time travel due to being kidnapped by aliens (I know, it shocked me too). The non-linear narrative and use of time travel made a unique plot and allows the reader to jump around time in the novel alongside Billy. In many circumstances, you will find yourself wondering what nonsense you’re reading, but trust me, it’s worth it.
It’s not necessarily the writing that sticks out to the reader, but the ideas that the novel presents; nonetheless, it’s still incredibly well-written. Throughout the book, I found myself laughing, crying, enraged, disgusted, etc. If you are looking for a short and quick read, this is a great book for both. I absolutely love this book, and I think you would too!