"He tore himself to pieces, throwing up and throwing up.
So it goes."
-- Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Brilliant novel. Absolutely brilliant.
The book captures the essence of a former soldier of World War II, named Billy, who witnessed the bombing of Dresden, Germany, leaving him in a traumatised and delirious state. To cope, Billy's imagination--consciously or subconsciously--fabricates stories of his abduction to the planet Tralfamadore, where its inhabitants do not see life in single moments; rather, they witness all of Time simultaneously, as if gazing across a mountain range. Consequently, they emphasise Fate dominating their lives and see Death as a mere snapshot, hardly significant, commenting with a nonchalant, "So it goes." Vonnegut captures the necessity for Billy to escape his scars from the War by turning away from reality and seeking comfort in his imagination and "memories" of Tralfamadorians.
Though the reader will doubtlessly feel confusion, Vonnegut's idiosyncratic style is complemented by the genius of the structure; whereas details included in the beginning make no sense and appear to be there for mere humour, later in the novel other details tie together, concluding with a deeper understanding and a better ability to emphathise with Billy. Although, I won't lie to you--there is still a good deal in the work that confuses me, probably requiring a re-read (or two) to clear up.
With a truly original style, Vonnegut proclaims his anti-war stance--atypically accepting the inevitably of war, yet persevering in showing the atypical image of war--sharply contrasting to the venerated soldier returning home to his fiancée with several badges and awards. Ending with a description of the Dresden massacre and a bird chirping--"Poo-tee-weet?"--Vonnegut suggests that there is nothing to say about a massacre, and there is no real way to explain or defend it. His style is not poetic like that of Shakespeare or extremely descriptive like that of Hawthorne--but his works still carry a beauty and profundity worthy of a place among the great classics.
In other words, I give it three Tralfamadorian thumbs up.