And Does Not Know Who Vonnegut Is
By Amber Josfin Pineda
Kurt Vonnegut was certainly a writer. Critics may be divided in what they have to say about him, but I think we can all unanimously agree that he was in fact a writer when he was active. As someone who shares this view, reading Slaughterhouse-Five was an enlightening experience. Vonnegut’s expressive tone allowed me to understand the main character’s perspective in a way no other book has done.
Speaking of the main character, I must say, they were well-written. I really enjoyed seeing their bravery unfold as the story progressed. In my personal opinion, their best moment was saving those five children from the town’s slaughterhouse. I was amazed that they were able to complete such an onerous task in a number of chapters. Indeed, Vonnegut truly was a writer.
Perhaps what most intrigued me as I read the pages of this novel was the protagonist’s ability to withstand gore. As someone who absolutely loathes seeing any and all forms of bloodshed, I can confirm, not vomiting at the sight of blood is really hard, so props to Vonnegut for being able to write about that.
Another thing that really amazed me was the vivid imagery with which Vonnegut described the five children of the slaughter house. All chapters of the book were focused on developing a plot in which these five children were involved, and the five aforementioned children were all interesting characters with which I could personally connect. The child that captivated me most was a nice child. Vonnegut was able to really describe their harrowing experiences in an
informative, edifying light. But, what do I expect? Vonnegut himself was a child, so he has spent 18 or so years in the field. It is only natural that he understands the experiences of a child best.
However, in spite of all my praises, there were a few aspects of the novel I believe could use improvement. For instance, the real story begins at about page 5 of the book. Mind you, I do not have a copy of Slaughterhouse-Five with me at the moment because I lost it at a book convention that Vonnegut himself attended. I also lack access to a digital version of the book and any previews of it because my internet has been glitchy for the past few months.
I am writing this review using Andrei’s computer, so bear with me as I attempt to use my
memory (and only my memory) to write this review. Nevertheless, I can assure you that the real story does begin on page 5, and please (no really, please) correct me if I am wrong.
If I were to give an overall rating, I would give the book a solid ⅗ stars. It was a book with events that happened in it, but it was also a book that did not have as many events as I had
anticipated. Its social commentary on the horrors of child labor was truly spectacular though, so I have to give it to Vonnegut for being such a writer.
And with that, I conclude this book review. I was fascinated by Vonnegut’s work and am looking forward to reading his upcoming books, along with the long-awaited sequel, “Slaughterhouse-
Five: Child’s Revenge.”
*This piece has been previously published in Belladonna Comedy