Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut (3)

Cat's Cradle buttered my Kurt Vonnegut muffin, so to speak. I was forewarned about the plot's "mind-fuck", but not about the satirical hilarity. The plot didn't blow my mind, though, since I am a huge science fiction fan and adore post-apocalyptic musing. Vonnegut's endless humor was addicting, and I finished the book almost immediately.

For all the unusual thoroughness of the novel, including a fictional religion, imagined co-creator of the atom bomb, and fake island nation that are all so detailed you could practically convert and move there, the characters are empty. The only bit of emotional realism I remember revolves around the princess of the island, who loves and is loved by all. Even after the end of the world, the despair of the narrator and survivors is a side note. The priority is clearly parody, rather than plot or characters. And more than anything, it is a commentary on religion. John-call-me-Jonah, the narrator, misunderstands Christian theology enough to leave that faith to follow the same ideas in the fictional Bokononism. I wasn't a Lit major in college, and so do not have the benefits of reading the Sparknotes here, but it seems more like Vonnegut's misunderstanding than him writing the character's mistake. (Welcome any corrections here. I'm not a professional)