Breakfast of Champions (Kurt Vonnegut)

I’d gotten a good sense of Kurt Vonnegut’s biting wit after reading Slaughterhouse Five, so I wasn’t expecting Breakfast of Champions to be pink and fluffy.  Still, I was startled by its ballsy cynicism and irreverence.  Whether or not I agreed with the sentiments, the book goaded me to make an uncomfortable climb and look at the neighborhood from a whole new tree limb.

Breakfast of Champions is set in an average American town in 1972 and tells the story of the fateful meeting between Dwayne Hoover, a wealthy businessman with severe mental illness, and the as-yet-unknown science fiction author Kilgore Trout (who also figures significantly into Slaughterhouse Five).  Through these two very unconventional men and the supporting characters, Vonnegut explores several social issues (racism, sexism, pollution, etc.).  His primary theme, though, is the nature of deity and humanity, and our free will (or lack thereof).

One of Vonnegut's memorable illustrations

Early on, the narrator establishes himself as the actual pen-to-paper author of the book we’re reading, the omniscient creator of his people.  As he tells their stories, he names every single character, even the most incidental, and gives a brief history for each.  His narrative is scattered and disjointed, but strangely compelling, like a mad scientist describing his wacky experiments.  He simplifies complex notions down to sarcastic quips.  He draws on-the-fly illustrations that are simple, silly, and surprisingly provocative.  And as the plot ramps up, he does the strangest thing of all:  He writes himself into the plot, joining his people in their own world, interacting with them as their author, manipulating their actions.  This author-as-character shift feels experimental and awkward at first, but you eventually see that Vonnegut is brilliantly supporting his thesis.  The narrator is the Creator of the Universe, and he wields tremendous control over his people.  But he finds that he is not entirely omnipotent.  To some degree, he’s a simple observer of his own creation.

Kurt Vonnegut

Vonnegut’s handling of racism is - be warned - indelicate.  He blurts out his characters’ raw thoughts, and those people are no civil rights activists.  Also, tender-souled readers may find his anatomical and pornographic references distasteful at best, downright offensive at worst. But if your sense of humor tolerates a little raunch, you should like it.

The plot of Breakfast of Champions is simple, and without the narrative context, the book would be quite brief.  Its tone and ideas are its substance.  Don’t expect to snuggle in for a cozy read.  This book is real art literature, not pop fluff, and as great art is supposed to do, it provokes questions and stirs inner dialog, even at the cost of your comfort.

Check it out on Amazon!