MOTHER NIGHT

Vonnegut's story of Howard Campbell, a Nazi propagandist being tried in Israel as a war criminal after WWII, picks up extra meaning with Victor Bevine's flat tones. These are contrasted with the strong emotions and accents of the novel’s other characters, a narrative technique that dramatizes the central issue of Vonnegut’s story: what is real? Was Howard really an American agent during the war, as he claims? Who is he now? What is Vonnegut up to? Is he showing us a hero so worn out by the horrors of war that he hasn't the strength to get at the truth? Or is he depicting a villain who hides behind invisibility and ambiguity? Author and narrator give us a powerful story, and much to consider. S.W. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2008]