

I’ve only read one book by Kurt Vonnegut before. It was Slaughterhouse V, and I thought it was rad. A little time after that I went on one date with a girl who wouldn’t shut up about Cat’s Cradle and then called me the next day to say she would rather go out with someone else. It put me off this book for a while, until I saw a wonderfully crisp new copy of it at my local library. It was freshly covered with a sheet of contact, it had a lovely colourful cover. It wanted me to read it. It said so, I looked at it and it said, “Come on.. pick me up. You know you want to,” and I, being the type of person to do exactly what inanimate objects tell me to, picked it up and took it home.

Like Slaughterhouse V, Cat’s Cradle is written in short chapters, each trying to get a small part of the plot across. And like Slaughterhouse V, this book is a joy to read. Full of humour, charm and social commentary. It was hard to put down, so I didn’t.

What is it about though? The dull answer is that it’s about the end of the world, and surviving the end of the world. The interesting answer is that it is a book about religion and its meaninglessness. This is represented in the novel through ‘Bokonism’, a religion Vonnegut invented for the book. It’s based on the idea that one should believe in whatever lies make them good and happy. Vonnegut’s point, I think, was that all religions are lies, so at least believe the ones which make you feel better.

The book’s driving force is the protagonist’s, Jonah’s, work on a book on dr. Felix Hoenniker, the fictional ‘father of the atom bomb.’ Hoenniker is presented as a ‘pure science man.’ That is, a scientist whose sole purpose is to research whatever he sees fit, however he sees fit. This is ‘pure science’. It is, like the fictional scientist, uncaring and amoral. It is knowledge for knowledge’s sake. Vonnegut explores the idea of the contrast between science as something useful for humanity, and science as progress. Progress, for Vonnegut at least, is clearly not a moral quality. It is not immoral, it isn’t wrong. But it is simply devoid of morality by not fitting into any moral categories. The uses of science are where the morality comes into the picture.

What I like about Vonnegut’s writing is how effortless his work seems. The pages seemed to turn themselves. I probably shouldn’t have waited so long to read this. I guess I have that girl to blame. Or maybe not. It’s probably my own fault. Oh well.

Have you read it? Let me know what you think in a comment. I do enjoy hearing what you have to say! If you haven’t, why not get it on Amazon or Book Depository, and then read it, and then leave me a comment? Yeah. Do that.