The only catch is all you need. Review on Catch-22 - Joseph Heller

?It?s written in catch 22 that you cannot see catch 22?

The above line is the hallmark of the book. The book reveals the bitterness of the author with the war. The uselessness of war and ironies that war can create.

I can?t seem to get over this book. I don?t know how many times I have read this book. Each time it feels that there is something new about this book.

This book was recommended to me by my librarian in school who was a very well read person. He has recommended me some of the best books that I have ever read.

Catch 22 is set during the World was 2. It is set in an imaginary war location where almost all of the action takes place.

The lead character of the book is a pilot called Yossarian. He is by the time of writing totally disillusioned by war and retorts to patriotism with phrases like ?how does it matter to a dead man as to which side one?.

It is ironical that he is under a colonel who refuses to let the current pilots go and ask for replacements and he keeps on raising the number of missions that the pilots are required to fly before they can be sent home. The more missions he asks them to fly the more bitter Yossarian gets.

The book is full of totally weird characters or rather the author has a way of painting characters that bring out the weirdness in normal people in a totally abnormal situation.

The book is also full of sarcasm. This again seems due to the bitterness of the author with the war. If I have to define the book by its type I would say that the book is totally cynical .The author and consequently the characters in the book keep seeing the abnormal side of things.

One of my favorite characters of the book is called Milo. He is the mess officer of the squadron and is responsible for procuring food for it. He turns this operation into a major undertaking where he forms a huge syndicate and runs his operations from various cities. He manages to buy eggs at 5 cents and sell them at 7c a pieces and still make a profit. You will have to read the book to understand how. I still haven?t understood why (I guess I will read the book again sometimes later).

There in a paragraph in the book where a person is described. It goes ??.. He sprang out of his bed at the crack of noon to make sure that the chores are not done?.? The whole book is so hilarious in spite of its grave and cynical nature. The manages to convert most of the tragedies in the book upside down and make them seem hilarious.

The book comes highly recommended from me. Read it and you will understand what I mean.

I will end with a classic conversation

(its not a quote but the essence is there)

A.How can I stop flying missions?

B. You have to report yourself crazy. but if you do that it means that you are not crazy becoz you do not want to fly missions and only a crazy person can want to fly missions.

Its all written in catch 22