Joseph Heller, Catch-22, London: Vintage, 1994

This novel is tough going at the beginning due to the crazy prose and frenzied sections on characters, detailing how and why they are each unstable. There is no linear narrative or sense to be made. However, some sense begins when narratives cross over, where character descriptions and actions refer to the behaviour of other characters, so a mental picture gradually begins to form. The best part here is a section describing the emotions associated with flight terror which has previously been treated with flippancy. Here it is gripping; it draws the reader into the reality of bomb raids and the fear of premature death in a metal coffin, all fire, noise and confusion.

There is also an enjoyable and lengthy section on the madness of commerce which focuses on Milo Minderbender's purchase and redistribution of produce simply to create a market, and is a daft but funny critique of the capitalist system. The following section discusses religion which is looking good, but requires close attention so I am now abandoning it in favour of a less taxing novel. I may return.

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