Mother Night (Book Review)

From the beginning, writer Kurt Vonnegut tells us what we're in for instead of leaving things obscure or open to interpretation. This seems to be the opposite of what so many artists like to do, and perhaps Vonnegut deserves extra credit for this.

Mother Night's introduction begins:

“This is the only story of mine whose moral I know. I don’t think it’s a marvelous moral; I simply happen to know what it is: We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.”

According to studies, our acting or pretending to feel a certain way can actually result in us literally feeling that certain way. While normally the feeling comes before the manifestation (the smile as a result of feeling happy), the opposite can be true too (forcing a smile and then feeling happy as a result). Most would probably agree that Vonnegut's moral in Mother Night is true.

Mother Night takes place in New York and in Germany during and after the second world war. It addresses the common themes of romantic love verses one's duty to a seemingly greater cause, the beauty of romantic love itself, and--most interestingly to me--the less common theme of understanding or at least trying to understand the psychology and reasoning behind those who were behind the most heinous crimes of the last century. 

This novel reminded me that, at least in this system of things, people are not just good or bad--people are a jumbled mix of a lot of things. Human psychology is complicated--and when imperfection is involved, there will be snags in the wiry nest of synapses when it comes to the decisions we make and the lifestyles some choose to lead. By using history's most blatant examples of people we deem outright evil or racist as his main characters (Nazis and bigots of various sorts), Vonnegut is able to show that point very clearly.

A war criminal is what the protagonist in this story pretends to be--and he does so for a 'greater' cause which you will understand if you read the novel. This plot line itself is intriguing and it contains a couple of interesting twists along the way. It's definitely not a feel-good novel--which is not surprising considering its subject matter--but it is a very quotable, interesting narrative that will leave you thinking about its themes and its ending after you finish it.

Vonnegut is best know for his Sci-Fi novels such as Slaughterhouse Five and Breakfast of Champions. Mother Night contains no science fiction elements. The category of World War II era historical fiction is filled with great 'classic' literature such as The Diary of a Young Girl (which I have not read). And Witnesses may be interested in reading such memoirs such as Facing the Lion and Unbroken Will. 

Mother Night's subject matter may not suit everyone's taste and some may feel uncomfortable with its themes, but for me, it was a great introduction to this genre, and was an excellent novel by any reckoning.