Book Review : "Catch 22" (1961) by Joseph Heller
"There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle."
Rating: 4.5/5
Satire at its best!
Catch 22 is not considered one of the best fictions of the twentieth-century for no reason. It is a delightful yet disturbing read. An anti-war novel which treats its subject, military life, war and it's traumas - the absurdity of it all - in the most ridiculous fashion, filled with humor and chaos, so as to depict the senseless of war through the very style of the narrative.
We follow John Yossarian, a 25-B bombardier in the U.S Air Force, who is scared to death (the only sane one, trying to maintain his sanity) about the ongoing war situation (World War II) as he tries to find reasons to not fly any missions at first, but finding no way out, decides to finish the requisite quota so that he can return home as soon as possible, only to find himself in a no-win situation as the new Colonel goes on increasing the number of missions so as to please his superiors and get a promotion. Through the events that take place in the 256th US Army Air Squadron, the narrative depicts the power plays within the force, alongside the massive horrors of the war time in the most outrageously uproarious manner, which are striking at the same time.
It is written in a non-chronological narrative with the timeline slowly emerging and falling into place as the story progresses. So, don't worry in case you find it a difficult to put the incidents into perspective at first. Each chapter is titled by the name of the characters and will circle around them, giving more insights into them and familiarizing us with them.
Do not be apprehensive about picking the book up, just do it. You'll thank yourself. It is utterly hilarious with ridiculous characters and incidents that repeat itself in a circular manner, stressing how nonsensical it all is. It's filled with word play, allusions, paradoxes and dark humor. It will make you laugh, think, and reflect. A must read for sure!
It is a good introduction to postmodernist fiction.
The Hulu series is pretty good, but read the book, if possible, for the complete experience.
*Trigger Warning: The book contains graphic depictions of war, sexual violence and strong language.
"The enemy is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he is on."
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