by John Carruthers

Created on: May 01, 2009

Catch 22 is possibly one of the best books ever written. As with all reviews, there is no real way to be objective about this type of thing, but I stand by it. I usually pick the book up once a year and read it again. If it's not my number one favourite book of all time then it is definitely in the top three.

The main problem I have with Joseph Heller is that he managed to make his masterpiece the first book he ever wrote. Okay, this is a bizarre thing to have a problem with but it is a bug bear of mine because it means that I have approached each of his subsequent books expecting them to possess the magic of his debut and sometimes I have been left wanting.

Now Joseph Heller is not the first person to ever have suffered from this problem, nor was he the last. But it must be frustrating for an author to be unable to get out of the shadow of a piece of work... especially their debut offering.

One of the most important concepts in Catch 22 is... well the concept of a Catch 22. A Catch 22 is a no win situation - the illusion of choice (an easier concept to understand if you are married). The main instance of this given in the book is when the novel's protagonist, Yossarian, a Bombardier in World War II, decides he doesn't want to fly any more missions.

He asks the Flight Surgeon, Doc Daneeka, to ground him because he doesn't want to fly any more. To ground him, Doc Daneeka must evaluate that he is unfit to fly. The only way he can do that is if Yossarian is insane. The only way Doc Daneeka can determine he is insane is if Yossarian asks to be grounded from missions on account of being insane. But because only an insane person would want to fly on these missions, by wanting to be grounded on the basis of insanity, Yossarian must be sane... which means Doc Daneeka can't ground him.

Confused? Well the book is full of lots of these no win situations, some you may not spot as Catch 22's until you read the book a few times. It is a work of inspired genius and probably the best anti war novel ever written. It is, in turns, hilarious and tragic. Sometimes on the same page. It has a vast cast of quirky characters, all lovable in their own way. But the central character, Yossarian, deserves to be put on a pedestal as one of the best tragic/comedy creations ever. He is either completely insane or the most sane person in an insane world.

I know which of the two he is. Read it and judge for yourself.

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