SOMETHING HAPPENED

Rating:
Summary: the labrynth of the mind
Review: This is, perhaps, the most complex of Heller's writings that I've read. It's structure is so tight and intentional that upon subsequent readings, each chapter becomes almost symbolic in and of itself. This book deals, in the first person, with the personal and professional life of Bob Slocum. He seems to be a very disillusioned fellow, and, at times, comes across as completely callous. However, there is more to this story than the simple ramblings of an unhappy man. It's deeply rooted in psychology (especially Freudian psychology). This is where the structure of the book comes in to play. For Heller deals with a lot of Freud's theories (which I won't necesarilly get into here), and almost all of them are repressented somewhere in this book. A common critical complaint about this book is that nothing actually happens (in terms of physical action). If you give this novel only a surface reading, you're likely to come away with that very impression. However, if you look closer (or even read this novel a few times), you'll see that there is definite psychological and symbolic action. Something happens (although it may not be readily apparent). Although Something Happened is not as humorous as Heller's earier work, Catch-22, I think that it is a far more rewarding piece, in the long run. It, in my opinion, has more depth to it, and is highly underrated because of it's lack of physical action (or drama). If you decide to pick this book up, be aware that it isn't the comic piece that Catch-22 is. Whatever humor exists in this novel is dark and jaded. It's far more likely to be disturbing than funny. However, as I've said earlier (and by the five stars I gave it), it's well worth the read. I would recomend this book to anyone who has an interest in psychology, as well as in Freud.

Rating:
Summary: Entering another's mind
Review: When I first started reading Something Happened I got dismayed when I saw that sometimes a paragraph would go on for a couple pages from time to time. But Joseph Heller has a captivating writing style. I found myself entering the narrator's thoughts and being carried along with almost no effort.

Something Happened explores the thoughts of one man about his childhood, his wife, his children, his job, and his mistresses. Reading it you find a man's soul bared. You read and experience all the thoughts I imagine many people have but would never actually come out and say. Most of us would never admit we have such thoughts, which could make this book difficult for some people to read as it may make someone ashamed since we rarely consciously recognize we ae having them.

But this is the any-man. It could be anyone. Sometimes life is not exciting and we just go through it trying to get by, to exist. We are afraid, we are insecure, we don't really know what we are doing. I'm sure that's not everyone, but I know sometimes I feel like Bob Slocum. And that's what I took away from this book...that I'm not the only one with insecurities and doubts about my life. I guess many of us go through life just waiting for something to happen.