Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut – Reviewed by Guy Portman
During WWII, Howard W. Campbell was a prominent Nazi propagandist. Now he is languishing in an Israeli prison awaiting trial for war crimes. It is here that our protagonist is typing his life story.
Following the Allied victory, he left Germany and returned to America, the country of his birth. There, in New York, Howard lived with the expectation that he would inevitably face capture and trial. While awaiting his fate, Howard wiled away his time playing chess with a neighbour and yearning for the wife, long ago captured by the Russians. We learn that the former playwright and propagandist had been an agent for the Americans during The War.
His stint in The Big Apple entailed interactions with US fascists who lauded him as a hero. There is also the omnipresent threat of a particularly vitriolic ‘patriot’.
Published in 1962, Mother Night is a concise, ambiguous morality tale brimming with satirical observations and darkly humorous details. The story condemns extremism in all its forms. Hypocrisy is a recurring theme, as is the case with the author’s seminal work, Slaughterhouse-Five.
Although the finale is somewhat anti-climactic, it is in keeping with the nature of what is essentially a non-plot orientated novel. This light, acerbic read will appeal to all fans of satire and sarcasm.
