Book Review - Catch-22

There is great joy in watching the genius unfold itself in front of your eyes – speaking metaphorically of course. It’s when Sachin Tendulkar starts batting; it’s when Lata Mangeshkar starts crooning ‘Aapki nazro ne samjha’; it’s when a A. R. Rehman song reaches its crescendo; it’s when Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are playing a grandslam final; it’s when a Christopher Nolan movie unravels its mysteries that we begin to comprehend the limitless nature of human capabilities and wonder at how beautiful its exposition is. The experience of witnessing that beauty is often exhilarating and great fun. And it is a similar feeling as you read through Joseph Heller’s Catch-22.

I am not really sure whether this book is the work of a genius or just a genius work for I have not read any other book written by Mr. Heller. But, I have read Catch-22 and that, I feel, more than makes up for any other book from any other author that I have missed reading on. It is undoubtedly one of the greatest pieces of satire in the English fiction. But it’s not just a satire; it is a commentary on the infinite stupidity and absurdity that we see all around us; and it is funny – laugh out loud funny, if you please.

Catch-22 is set on the island of Pianosa and in the times of the Second World War. It is about a bombardier named Yossarian who is trying to save himself from the unpleasant consequences of war. And who can blame him? If all the people you know and even the people you don’t know are out to kill you, even you will think of nothing but how to stay alive. And so Yossarian does all he can and uses all the ingenuity at his disposal to stay alive. He wants to finish all the missions he has to fly and be relieved from his war duties as soon as possible. But, his problem is whenever he is nearing the completion, his superiors raise the number of minimum missions that everybody has to fly. His only hope is to be declared insane so he cannot fly any missions. He figures that should be easy, because with all those people out there to kill him, he had to be insane to fly any missions. And therein lies the catch. He is considered insane if he continues to fly any missions and because of his insanity, he is unfit to fly any missions. But, if he makes a formal request to be relieved of duty, this very act of making a request proves he is sane and fit to fly missions. And, of course, if he doesn’t make the request no one will relieve him of his duty. Quite a catch, isn’t it? As simple as it is brilliant.

Through this unusual setting Mr. Heller sets out to criticize the idiotic nature of the war and the bureaucratic procedures of the world. And he does it ruthlessly. He takes the colossal stupidity apart with such detail that sometimes you wonder where does the reality stop and where does the fiction begin. He tackles it with a great and a dark sense of humour. He pokes fun at everything that comes his way in telling this story.

And that’s one thing that takes this satire to a whole new level. There are several moments that made me laugh till I got tears in my eyes. My friends – who shared the apartment with me at that time – would be bewildered at this. One moment I would be perfectly fine and reading the book in all sincerity and the next moment I would be in absolute splits. The jokes come at you in a way you are least expecting. I mean, you know there will be jokes coming your way in this book, but they are never predictable and before you know it you have already let out a snort at them. This book is filled with insanity and that insanity is absolutely hilarious.

Another thing that I find special about the book is the unique way of storytelling. It is non linear and it tells the same sequence of events again and again and we have to be alert to derive a feasible chronology from the seemingly chaotic and all over the place narration. Where the storytelling really gets inspiring, though, is in changing the vantage points (pun intended) that we view the story from. We view the same events from the perspective of different people and with each iteration of events, the story becomes more coherent. It is like pieces of a puzzle falling into place. I might have made it sound like a very brainy exercise, but don’t be too alarmed, even if you don’t get all the intricacies of the plot it doesn’t in any way take away from the wonderful experience of reading this book. Anyway, once we become familiar with the story and its own quirky ways, Mr. Heller suddenly decides to show us the futility of war in a – I don’t know how to exactly put it – different tone. The book never loses its sense of humour but at the same time it becomes brooding, sombre and at times even shocking. And that’s why despite all the jokes and seemingly insincere take at the serious things, the book maintains a hint of a soul and makes its point effectively.

Saying all this, I must mention that this book is probably not for everybody. One needs a really wacky sense of humour and at the same time thoughtful sensibilities to really appreciate what the book has to offer. Without these one could be led into believing that the humour is insensitive and at times even crass. Without these one might be unable to discern its value as a social commentary as Mr. Heller disguises many poignant observations under the garb of humour. And finally without these one can be deceived into thinking that this book is a lot less serious about itself than it really is.

There is no wonder then that at the time of its release, this book divided opinion like any other book seldom does. The copy I have does not mention the edition it is a part of apart from saying it’s a special edition. But the foreword provides a valuable insight into the book’s early days. As I have mentioned above, upon its release it invited extreme reviews. Those who liked it were hugely impressed and those who didn’t blasted it mercilessly. And perhaps this is the reason why it has never been on any list of bestsellers. And that’s why initially people didn’t take notice of the book. But in a revealing survey done 3 years after its release, it was discovered that the underground book (I have no idea what an underground book is) that New Yorkers were talking about most was Catch-22. Then everybody started taking note and the sells picked up. There was even a time when John Chancellor – a noted journalist of the time and the one who interviewed Mr. Heller for his first television interview – was pasting privately printed stickers on the walls of the corridors and the executive rest rooms of the NBC building. The stickers read – YOSSARIAN LIVES (this fact is courtesy the preface I mentioned above). Trust the fans to be as weird as the book they love.

This then is an extraordinary book with an unusual protagonist who is a coward and is without any patriotic bone in his body. It contains an ensemble supporting cast of weirdos – every character, without exception – which make you laugh and at the same time make you think. And it is recognized as one of the greatest literary accomplishments of the 20th century. The measure of its significance can be understood by the fact that it has managed to coin a new term that we regularly use to depict a situation where you will end up in a soup no matter what course of action you take. But, as I have already warned you, and so I do again, it may not necessarily be your taste. But if you start taking a liking to it and catch its pulse, there is nothing quite like experiencing it.

So my recommendation is for you to get a copy for yourself and enjoy the ingenuity unfold itself.