Slapstick: Or Lonesome No More! - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Written like a series of jokes aimed at punchlines, this later Vonnegut novel never requires too much concentration. Even so, its short little bursts of thought contain wonderfully absurd anecdotes and plenty of the author's trademark sentiment-laced satire. His preoccupation with apocalyptic themes is present, along with his quixotic longing for a greater sense of community and belonging. Within these pages you will find many of the ideas that are expressed ad nauseum in his speeches, essays, and shorter works (see Wampeters, Foma & Granfalloons), but a little more finalized and focused. Told from the perspective of a senile former president and half-genius, it outlines (the writing is very sparse) a very unusual childhood relationship, the demise of civilization, an experimental new social system, and a brilliant solution to China's population problems (although it only worsens the world's air quality). This quick read is not as fully conceived or cutting as The Sirens of Titan or Cat's Cradle, which likewise predict the fall of civilization (always with a bit of hope for recovery), but is highly amusing and a good example of his later style.

Worth Reading
3 out of 5
Buy this book: Slapstick: Or Lonesome No More!