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A review by crabbynico
Breakfast of Champions, or Goodbye, Blue Monday! by Kurt Vonnegut
dark
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This being my third Vonnegut novel, I knew roughly what to expect: tongue-in-cheek dark humor, a universal inter-connectedness, random asides with no point but enriching the world of the story.
At some point, I will review this more in depth when it is fresher in my mind. For now, I will say that this was a wild ride that goes almost nowhere, like a roller coaster making a loop, and is no less fun for it. There’s more slapstick here than some of his other works, the narration is at times absurd and there is rather heavy usage of some racial slurs and stereotypes. Yes, they are used to mock racist ways of thinking and the systems that support it, but it’s done in a very dry way that might not be immediately apparent to everyone. That’s not so much a criticism as a caution. There is also a smaller amount of similar content regarding homophobia and one thing near the end that is quite upsetting in that regard.
My big takeaway was mostly just feeling sorry for everyone involved. It wasn’t a bummer of a book by any means, with Vonnegut’s trademark absurdist humor providing the levity to float me through it all. That said, I would not relish another trip to the city of Midland, as it is a very bleak place.
At some point, I will review this more in depth when it is fresher in my mind. For now, I will say that this was a wild ride that goes almost nowhere, like a roller coaster making a loop, and is no less fun for it. There’s more slapstick here than some of his other works, the narration is at times absurd and there is rather heavy usage of some racial slurs and stereotypes. Yes, they are used to mock racist ways of thinking and the systems that support it, but it’s done in a very dry way that might not be immediately apparent to everyone. That’s not so much a criticism as a caution. There is also a smaller amount of similar content regarding homophobia and one thing near the end that is quite upsetting in that regard.
My big takeaway was mostly just feeling sorry for everyone involved. It wasn’t a bummer of a book by any means, with Vonnegut’s trademark absurdist humor providing the levity to float me through it all. That said, I would not relish another trip to the city of Midland, as it is a very bleak place.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Suicide, and Mental illness
To put it bluntly: a violent hate crime is perpetrated on a man by his father, in the midst of a psychotic episode. While not deeply graphic, it is implied that his face is barely recognizable as a face afterwards.
Also, a former convict waxes nostalgic about prison sex and fucking cows so—yeah, there’s that.