(1) JOSEPH HELLER – CATCH-22 (1961)

“There was only one catch and that was Catch-22…”

Yeah – this is the big one. This is the book that changed me forever. If you peel back the layers of my psyche, you’d find this book lodged deep in my mind. Even more than any fantasy or science fiction book, this book is the lens by which I see the world.

An absurdist and at times black comedy. Life is the laughter of the gods – but sometimes they have a black sense of humor.

A satirical antiwar novel – it focuses on Yossarian, an American bombardier in the Second World War, who would very much like to not be a bombardier in the Second World War.

Distinctive non-linear or “non-chronological omniscient third person” narrative, with the plot seemingly an assortment of random events on base or shifting focus across several characters (among the most humorous character vignettes in literary fiction) – although linked by the main focus on Yossarian and recurring story arc of mysterious references to Snowden.

And of course the novel originated the titular expression to describe a no-win situation or a double bind.

“A wild, moving, shocking, hilarious, raging, exhilarating, giant roller-coaster of a book”.

POETRY (DRAMA)

No poetry ranking but Heller does get my drama ranking for writing plays and screenplays, including three plays based on Catch-22. Catch-22 has also been adapted to film in 1970 – it’s not bad but it’s not the book either – and a six-episode miniseries by George Clooney in 2019 – again not the book but not bad either, probably better than the film

FANTASY & SF (COMEDY)

The absurdism verges on fantasy but Heller can’t be ranked in the fantasy (or SF) genre, at least in this book – on the other hand, Catch-22 is the best comedic book in literary fiction.

RATING: 5 STARS*****
S-TIER (GOD-TIER)