Reviews with content warning for Suicide - Catch-22

Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

26 reviews

numerous_bees's review against another edition

3.75

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is an incredibly slow book, with approximately the first two thirds feeling like setup. It's written in a meandering, stream of consciousness, style that, while not difficult to read, is often difficult to fathom the purpose of (though that, itself, may be purposeful).
The early chapters occasionally feel like reading an episode of M*A*S*H, but I'd call it humorous or wry rather than funny. It gets significantly less so as it goes on, culminating in a harrowing final third. There is no humour there, there is no purpose to the many deaths, there is only the naked desperation of a man trying to survive a brutal, senseless bureaucracy and a brutal, bloody war. Nothing is surprising any more, no matter how ridiculous, they just become just another awful thing about an awful situation. Of course,

Milo has removed and sold the morphine from the first aid kit when Snowden needs it

. Of course,

Nately's whore (who never gets a name) appears to teleport around the country to stab Yossarian

. Why wouldn't these things happen?
At the time of writing, 12% of people have tagged this book as "lighthearted", and frankly I hope they're okay.

This was not a fun read and, at the halfway mark, I had decided to pass the book on after I finished it, but now I have turned the last page, it's sitting with me. I think, on balance, I would recommend it but it was not enjoyable.

Content Warnings