Catch-22 - Joseph Heller

This is one of the more intense books you will ever read, and also one of the most worthwhile. Catch-22 is the story of a bomber squadron stationed on Pianosa during World War II and the intense psychological struggles that the war puts them through. The book is told in the third person primarily from the point of view of Captain Yossarian, who is either completely mad or the only sane person left on the island. The writing of Joseph Heller in Catch-22 is phenomenal. This is perhaps the first time that I can truly remember laughing out loud while reading. By the same token, there are just as many moments in this book at which I was on the verge of tears. Every chapter of this novel is title based upon at least one of the people it will be defining. It is a very interesting and affective way of giving the reader different points of view of both the main character and his surrounding environment. In each of these segments, the title character and Yossarian are the only two that seem sane, while everyone else in the entire service appears to have lost his or her mind. There are two chapters of Catch-22 that I found particularly devastating, those entitles Mrs. Daneeka and McWatt. These two portions of the book were so good and so depressing that I had to set the book down after finishing them. As the book goes deeper, it gets darker and darker, and there is little satisfaction in its resolution. The conclusion of Catch-22 does offer a slight glimmer of hope as Yossarian tries to avoid flying anymore missions and at least a touch of optimism in reference to the human spirit, but the outlook for Yossarian and all of his compatriots is still very bleak. Apparently, this novel was an icon when it was written, and I can see why. As long as you can handle a darker theme, this book is a must read. I give Catch-22 4 and a half stars.