I started into Slapstick about month ago, got about halfway in, and then sort of got derailed. The book begins with an extended prologue where Kurt talks about some major events in his own life and how they affected this book, which is interesting because I stopped reading Slapstick to read And So It Goes- a full on biography of the guy. I finally got back to it today, finishing it off while half-heartedly watching the Bruins/Canucks game. And with the book completed, I can finally say that this is definitely not Kurt's best work. Actually I'd rank it among his worst. What started out as a heartbreaking tale of two twins who really need each-other more than anything else in their lives, turns into a ridiculous story about one of those twins becoming president of the United States, enacted some bizarre changes, and causing mass civil war. Apparently Kurt agrees with my assertion, as he graded Slapstick a D. But this review isn't all doom and gloom. After all, as one of my favorite authors, it's nice to see that even when Kurt Vonnegut misses the mark, he's still immensely funny, readable, and full of interesting ideas. I guess in the end, Slapstick reminded me of one of the first books I ever logged here, Hocus Pocus, in that it's Vonnegut at his worst, but still worth the time spent.
Hell of a game, no?
ReplyDeleteI'm interested to see how you feel about Player Piano, assuming you read it someday. To me it's not just Vonnegut at his worst, but Vonnegut at his least Vonnegut-esque. I'm also interested to see how I respond to Slapstick and Hocus Pocus, as I'll head into them knowing they're among your least favorites. Time will tell.