Closing Time (Catch-22, #2) (1995) - Plot & Excerpts
i have the amazon kindle version. i read a number of reviews prior to starting, even one or two that warned of spoilers. wasn't it flannery o'connor that said her education had never burdened her as she was able to forgot so much? i too am blessed in that fashion.but what strikes me immediately is the hilarity of this one. several thought otherwise, some thought only some sections were. the telling is funny, much like catch-22 and good as goldanother thing: i enjoy the narration. in the 1st, sammy singer is telling the story, then we go to a chapter called 'the little prick' and i assume this one is about richard nixon, a short piece, followed by a...3rd-person to do w/yossarian, from catch-22. i never knew his first name was john! i thought yossarian was his first name. mon dieu!and then in 4, and this is what i noticed that i didn't catch in any of the other reviews--in 4. lew is the narrator, another one of the old bucks...i think i'm up to maybe 8. book three i think the screen said before i figured to come here before i forgot...the business about the freedom of information act is a hoot....this amazon kindle is a hoot...i mean, you think about it, it knows when i've been reading, it knows what i've highlighted, it knows if i've been good or bad...can you imagine like ten governments tracking you cause they're all puzzled why your own government has been tracking you?update: this story gets better and better....HA HA HA HA HA!i don't recall reading in any of the other reviews that the narration changes like it does. i'm on 10. now. the previous chapter, one of them anyway, had to to w/the port authority bus terminal and there's some real poetry happening there...people using the stairwells and chambers to sew up their clothes, urinate and defecate, shoot up, someone is getting raped while another washes herself w/paper toweling.do we need an inferno update? i think this is it!(in case i need an alibi:1/12/2011, 7 am est, 3 am zulu-time but i lost a day already this year so who knows?)yes, very much so, inferno. that becomes more clear as you read along. this is an incredibly good story and there are more than enough allusions, metaphors, laughs, and word play to keep most poets curious.as noted, the narration changes perspective, 3rd person, 1st, at least one chapter from a female character. perhaps a reading of dante's inferno would pay dividends--there's a setting and scenes that are imaginative and pure joy to read. the people gathered on one side of the steps/tunnel/passage, the doorway, labeled do not enter on both sides, the things that are there that might not be there...more.there's no way i've caught all the allusions to other works written and heard--opera/music, that sort of thing. there is a wedding and the way it is described is hilarious and though i don't read the fashion pages--are there fashion pages?--as certain characters might say--i'm familiar w/them and i too, am familiar with the fashionable intelligence that passes for news these days.to borrow a line from the last pages (i read the amazon kindle version)...supposing that i have the time to read this again--and i will, given time...."[reading] again, he discovered more things he treasured."well worth a read, more than one.
Closing Time (Catch-22 #2) by Joseph HellerClosing Time is the perfect, to pardon the redundancy, closing to Catch-22. Published around 30 years after Heller's acclaimed bestseller, it's a senesced version of its prequel. And while I may compare it to its predecessor, Closing Time and Catch-22 are also too different, in tone and such, to be likened to one another in full.But first, to understand this, it is absolutely necessary to read Catch-22. Otherwise many of the happenings in this would be incomprehensible, and some of the most valuable allusions would be lost. A good deal of this centers on the characters' memories of the war, both of the traumatic and nostalgic. But there are several moments from Catch-22 that are repeatedly mentioned throughout, as well as commentaries on them. And to enjoy this to the full, it is necessary to have read the first.But to continue, the characters in this have all aged. They are now in their late lives, and rather than concern over their survival, and the war, they are faced with concerns over their families, their slowly impending deaths, and what it means to age. It's a constant theme throughout, and while it may not immediately appeal to admirers of the irrevocable youth and determination of the characters in the original, it's still a remarkably real portrayal of time passing.But on a level similar to Catch-22, it is also a critique. It's a critique of both bureaucracy and today's society. It examines the class difference between the rich and poor, the government's treatment, and, of course, as a sentiment to the beloved classic, the absurdity of the principles the characters must accept. Closing Time has quite a few catch-22's of its own, and still retains the humour and satire seen in the first one, perhaps drier and more cynical, but still reminiscent of the original.And in a sense, while it is depressing to see some of my favorite literary characters near-death in the old age, this is still profoundly moving. And in a different way than Catch-22. The ending (or shall I put it as the finale?), for instance, is one of the most remarkable ones I've ever read, and is an outstanding one, not necessarily haunting, but memorable just the same. And when the writing and characters have matured to that, so have the messages left behind. It's quite observational, and still incredibly witty.It reads slower than Catch-22, and is not as exciting, but it is still incredibly influential. I'd recommend it, immediately, to anyone who read and liked Catch-22. It's amazing, and a necessary read._______________________________________BTW, Heller constantly references Slaughterhouse-Five in this, both including the slaughterhouse in Dresden as a setting, as well as Vonnegut and himself much in the style Vonnegut did as a minor character, better put as bystander. And seeing two of my favorite novels merge is just so incredibly awesome. Just wanted to mention that. XD
What do You think about Closing Time (Catch-22, #2) (1995)?
When told that he he'd never written another book as good as Catch-22, Heller reportedly replied, "Who has?" Yet with Closing Time, he seems weighed down by the legacy of his masterpiece. Considering what a surreal and inventive ride Catch 22 was, this long-delayed sequel was a bit of a joyless slog. We meet Yossarian in old age, working on a consultancy basis for Milo Minderbinder and ex-PFC Wintergreen, who are now selling useless items to the US government. We also meet Sammy Singer, the tail-gunner who kept fainting as Yossarian tried to keep Snowden alive. Chaplain Tappmann also makes an appearance, in the protective custody of the government while they try to find out how his body is naturally producing raw materials for atomic weapons. The most notable new character is Lew Rabinowitz, another veteran whose story is probably the most engaging of all. What robs Closing Time of the fascination that made Catch-22 a classic is the absence of danger and of a functioning insane organisation. Yossarian's (and Heller's) cynicism and sanity have nothing to fight against, and so flail impotently. Meanwhile the book meanders between satire, fantasy, surrealism and science-fiction without ever succeeding at any of them. Lew's story includes his experiences of the bombing of Dresden, and the absurdist sci-fi that surrounds it suggests that Heller somehow wanted to re-write, 25 years too late, Slaughterhouse-Five; the masterpiece of his friend Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut is briefly mentioned as a character, as is 'Joey Heller' and even Schweik. The latter appearance is so cursory that he only seems to be there to show that Heller had read The Good Soldier Schweik.Towards the end, we're treated to several pages listing the ludicrously opulent offerings at a high-society wedding. No point is being made, other than to show up the pointless ostentation of the wealthy. This isn't even aiming at easy targets. Heller simply shows us the barn door two feet away and invites us to hit it ourselves. This sums up the book's aimlessness: just as the author should be using the closing pages to set the reader up for the denouement, or the great philosophical revelation at the heart of the book, he simply seems to shrug his shoulders and say, "The rich, eh? What are they like?"Yes, there are some poignant moments and some wonderful humour, as you'd expect from Heller, but the whole of Closing Time is so much less than the sum of its parts.
—Patrick Neylan
It lacks EVERYTHING that made Catch 22 such a good book. It was so severe and bland that I put down the book after reading for about 150 pages. It is monotone in that all we see in the sections about Yossarian is a jaded old man who is a shell of his former self; who proves that older doesn't always mean wiser but it sure as hell can mean more banal and uninspired . And while that is definitely not Heller's intent, its what the book feels like to me. The sections about the other two veterans is generally much more readable but once they move out of childhood, the same jaded tone invades that section of the book and once again, the book disappoints.It does contain some moments of genuine humor and insight, but maybe about once every chapter and mostly in the non Yossarian sections.I had high expectations; none of which were met.
—Dachaublues
The sequel to Catch-22 shows the same cast of characters 40 years later. John Yossarian, Lew Rabinowitz, Milo Minderbender, Sam Singer, and the chaplain weave their way through an equally ridiculous plot, ultimately involving an accidental nuclear war during which the select few are taken to an underground world composed of replicas of the founders favorite sites, including Coney Island and an ice cream plant. Preceding the retreat is the culmination of the wedding-to-end-all-weddings in the New York City bus station. The end is not nearly as interesting as the interaction and dialogue between the characters, who continue the style from their WWII days into their lives as government contractors, consultants, and small business owners and also recount all of the events that have passed. Most married well, had children -- just like their Dad -- and lost touch with each other until the time of this story in the 1990's. It's somewhat crude at times but definitely worth the read for anyone who previously enjoyed Catch-22.
—JP
