5 Novels That Mirror the Time-Traveling War Experience of Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five

Kurt Vonnegut’s iconic novel Slaughterhouse-Five is a masterpiece of war literature, science fiction, and time travel that defies categorization. This groundbreaking work of fiction tells the story of Billy Pilgrim, a young man who becomes “unstuck in time” and experiences his life out of order, including the horrors of World War II and his abduction by aliens. The work is largely a commentary on the senselessness of war and the human experience. If you’ve devoured this post-modern classic and hunger for more, check out these five titles that evoke similar themes and narrative structures:

1. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

The Time Traveler’s Wife centers on the love story between Henry DeTamble, a man who involuntarily time travels, and Clare Abshire, an artist who is destined to be his wife. While the novel doesn’t focus on war like Slaughterhouse-Five, it does explore the complicated nature of human relationships, love, and loss when time is unstable and unpredictable. Niffenegger’s novel takes readers on an emotional journey as the characters grapple with the uncontrollable nature of their lives.

Read or listen to The Time Traveler’s Wife by buying it here.

2. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

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Set against the backdrop of World War II, Catch-22 is a satirical anti-war novel that delves deep into the absurdities of war and the human experience. Its protagonist, Yossarian, struggles to find an escape from the military bureaucracy and rampant violence that surround him. Like Slaughterhouse-Five, Catch-22 plays with time by presenting the novel’s events in a non-linear fashion, emphasizing the disorientation felt during wartime.

Read or listen to Catch-22 by buying it here.

3. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

Life After Life follows the multiple lives of Ursula Todd, a woman who is born again each time she dies. This unique narrative structure allows Atkinson to explore the impact of individual choices and the butterfly effect they have on the world. Set primarily during World War II, the novel showcases the various ways Ursula’s life is shaped by the era’s events and how her choices impact her fate. Like Slaughterhouse-Five, Life After Life uses time travel to illustrate that even small decisions can have profound consequences.

Read or listen to Life After Life by buying it here.

4. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

All the Light We Cannot See is a breathtaking novel set during World War II, telling the stories of a blind French girl named Marie-Laure and a young German soldier named Werner. While not a time travel book per se, Doerr employs a non-linear narrative structure that enhances the interconnectedness of their experiences and emphasizes the novel’s themes of survival, resilience, and the power of human compassion. Like Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, All the Light We Cannot See demonstrates the beauty and resilience of the human spirit amid the devastation of war.

Read or listen to All the Light We Cannot See by buying it here.

5. The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson

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The Years of Rice and Salt is an alternate history novel in which the world’s development takes a different course when the Black Death wipes out 99% of Europe’s population. The narrative follows a group of characters who are reincarnated in various historical periods and settings. Robinson’s exploration of the human experience amid cataclysmic events has a resonance with Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, as both works use imaginative narrative structures to underline the challenges and triumphs humans face throughout history.

Read or listen to The Years of Rice and Salt by buying it here.