It’s Not Every Day I Abandon A Book

But Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 broke me

I have a confession. It’s hard for me to dislike anything. I don’t care if it’s a lousy movie, book, or TV show. I’m entertained by the bad shit as much as the good shit.

But when I find something I dislike, it’s not pretty. I rage for a day when I find something I hate; then, I’m over it unless someone says something to bring back the rage.

I’m sure some of you are wondering what this has to do with Joseph Heller’s Catch-22. Well, I hated it. I hated it so much I couldn’t finish reading it. I hated it so much it turned into the third book I abandoned reading. It’s the only book I stopped reading out of hate.

I know; I’m probably saying something controversial. But hear me out.

What Is The Story About?

Yossarian is a captain in the U.S. Army on a tiny island in Italy. It’s World War II, and the military keeps increasing the mission numbers before soldiers can go home.

You can go home early if you’re deemed crazy. However, if you think you’re crazy, you’re not crazy. Hence Catch-22. At least, that’s what I think it’s about. The writing was so all over the place, that I had no idea if I was right.

It sometimes jumps to Yossarian’s crazy antics and sometimes the other soldiers. Half the time, I couldn’t figure out if something had happened or if it was something the other soldiers had imagined.

Which Brings Up The First Problem. I Didn’t Understand What I Read

If unreliable narration is done well, it’s fascinating. Some of my favorite books have unreliable narrators. When it sucks, it’s grating.

And that’s my first problem with the book. The narration is so all over the place I have no idea what’s going on. Sometimes, they act like Yossarian’s actions are figments of their imaginations. Other times, it’s a circle jerk of repeating words over and over again.

For example, one of the most confusing “plot points” is someone signing letters as Washington Irving. When I stopped reading, five soldiers claimed to be Washington Irving. Um, what?

The best way I can describe it is Monty Python in text. The humor doesn’t make sense unless you see it acted out.

In case you’re wondering, I haven’t seen the Hulu show yet. I have a feeling it’ll be better than the book. Maybe it’ll give me a clearer picture of what the hell I read.

How The Hell Is War Babble Being Ahead Of Its Time?

The only scene in the book that made me laugh was when Yossarian saw a nurse he thought was super hot and started moaning. Then, the rest of the army began moaning. It kept going until someone almost got shot.

However, it’s the only time. The repetitiveness bothered me. Every other scene confused me. I couldn’t figure out what was going on.

Some of the scenes bothered me because of the confusion. In one scene, Yossarian is in a city where he meets a child pimp, and the pimp offers him virgin sisters. At first, you think they’re all children, and suddenly they’re not. The scene grossed me out so much; it’s what made me stop reading.

Before I abandoned the book, I got told to keep reading, for it was ahead of its time. Maybe it was true back then, but now it’s confusing babble.

Final Thoughts

I know some people will angrily comment. I say bring it on. Honestly, I welcome it! What did I miss about this book?

If Heller was going to show how insane war is, then he did a good job there. I didn’t finish the book, but maybe that’s the point. I use “babble” to describe the book for a reason.

The writing made me feel stupid because I didn’t understand what I read. I don’t want to read a book that makes me feel like an idiot. Maybe I’ll give it another chance one day, but I don’t think it’ll be any time soon.

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