Kurt Vonnegut’s Slapstick, A Novel

Slapstick is the story of an ugly boy’s rise to power in a crumbling United States. It’s also the story of a child whose genius depends on his twin sister in a society that firmly believes in “Paddling your own boat.” It’s also the tale of the isolation of the People’s Republic of China and it’s quiet, secretive rise to the intellectual and spiritual domination of the world. It also defies a consise, conhesive summary of the plot.

This was a quick, moderately enjoyable read for me. I found Vonnegut’s writing interesting and entertaining, but not enthralling. I found the plot only interesting at particular points–when Vonnegut was making a statement or wrapping things up in a manner that seemed to me an allusion to our society, or when Vonnegut talked about the Chinese.

While I found some of the ideas in Slapstick interesting and think they’ll stick in my mind, as a whole the book didn’t leave a strong impression on me.