Catch-22
by Joseph Heller
Book Read on 3 / 1 / 2007
Catch-22 is a study in contradiction about contradiction. It is a heartfelt book about the absurdity of war and the human condition. I think Heller is super-smart, but sometimes a bit repetitive. I'd recommend the book, but only the last 100 pages or so. The beginning is a bit too cute. You could tell that Heller was really enjoying his own cleverness. There were, however, passages in the book that were quite powerful and moving. You just have to get to them. He also is very good at describing both society and it's discontents (war, bureaucracy, social-climbing) but also the types of people that become cogs in these wheels. He pigeonholes some of his characters but in innovative ways. There is a bit of Conrad in this book, a feeling of an unspeakable darkness that lives in people. However, there is a feeling in this book that one can laugh in the face of it, if they are brave enough. So... I'd read it, but if you start getting stuck, remember it gets better.
Reviewer: William Koplitz
4 out of 5