ZEROTH WEEK: 'Catch-22'

'Catch-22' by Joseph Heller
???- January 1, 519 pages, 1961

"It was love at first sight"

(I decided to sneak this book in here because I started sometime in late December but finished it on New Years Day, but don't worry, I will update with another book soon for Week 1)

This is the only book from memory that I didn't get all the way through on the first read. I'm pretty anal about that; once I start a book i have to finish it. I first attempted to read this at the start of year 12 and i don't think my head was in the right place to read it at that time. I got about 50 pages in, had no idea what was going on, and decided to dump it. Coming back to this book was one of the best book decisions I've made; it is now one of my favourites.

I found it to be a difficult read because of the style. The narrative jumps around in time, but I didn't have any idea to what point in time until i was about halfway throught the book where everything starts to fall into place. Some events are retold by different characters...there are alot of characters!But don't let that put you off.

Catch-22 is actually one of the funniest books I have read. The dialogue between characters is hilarious because, in the end, nothing they say makes sense. Many jokes are set up in the first few chapters and are built upon throughout the novel. By the end, I realised that basically every character was crazy.

It is a completely worthwhile read, but I think you have to be ready for it and not try and rush it. The way it is written almost assumes that the reader knows what is already going on. It can get frustrating at times but make sure you push through through it, it's worth your while. ;)

Here is an example of my pathetic artistic skills. The burnt match is Yossarian, because he thinks everyone is out to get him.