A review by pascalthehoff
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

dark reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

As a German, I’m spoiled by our great post-war literature, which is often painfully gruelling and self-reflective. So Slaughterhouse 5 being able to keep up with that is something I was happy about in itself. It was also surprisingly refreshing to read an American take on that genre, especially since it also feels distinctly American. 

 

The biggest difference from typical German or European post-war literature, which can be very documentary in its style, is that Slaughterhouse 5 conveys less of a distinct sense of place. Nazi Germany feels more like a generic hellscape setting. Exactly this, however, is a significant part of the atmosphere and appeal. 

 

Perhaps typical of modern American literature, Slaughterhouse 5 is far more maximalist and over-the-top than "serious" European literature of the time dared to be. It doesn’t pull any punches and isn’t afraid of not hitting the mark at times. 

 

Of course, the German setting is constantly interrupted by the many flash-forwards or dreamlike sci-fi sequences. These depictions of what we’d now call PTSD sometimes seem to jump around a bit randomly, concerning their triggers. But they perfectly convey how war has wrecked and desensitized the protagonist forever. 

 

As an American post-war novel, Slaughterhouse 5 says a lot more interesting things about the US than it does about European relations: about American culture and people at the time, their self-identification as part of the Allied forces, as well as the group dynamics in their troops. That is, in terms of what it has to add to the canon of post-war literature. 

 

The biggest differentiator, though, are obviously the extraterrastrials. What might appear out of place at first is an incredibly clever way of looking at World War II from the perspective of an omniscient and unbiased outsider. With great philosophical depth and a unique quantum perspective on history, destiny and death, the aliens articulate how absurd human life and civilization seem to them: violence, exploitation of nature, and, in a strangely effective way, the human body. The latter may be why there is so much talk of excrement in the novel. But the filth and decay of human bodies is definitely an essential element of any war environment, and adds to the overall bleakness.