Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut

I'm glad that when I misspent my youth I spent part of it reading Kurt Vonnegut. I liked very much his off-beat humor, his understatement and his take on humanism. Here was a guy who would not let his pessimism overcome his sense of compassion. Yes, Vonnegut was satirical; yes, he poked fun at the vanities and follies of others; but underlying it all was a will that sought to understand his fellow creatures.

How lucky I was to have recently come across a clutch of three Vonnegut novels I had not read before: Player Piano, Mother Night, and God Bless You, Mr Rosewater. I had a wonderful weekend reading them.

Mother Night (1961) is the story of Howard W. Campbell, Jr. (he appeared briefly in Vonnegut's later novel Slaughterhouse Five). Campbell is an American spy who worked in Nazi Germany, becoming one of the Third Reich's most virulent propagandists in the course of his duties. Encoded in his broadcasts was information vital to the Allied war effort.

Campbell accepted this role, knowing that there was no way he could clear his name after the war, knowing that the USA government would neither confirm nor deny that he was a double-agent. The best they can do is smuggle him back to the States after the war is over and give him a new identity. In 1961, Campbell's cover is blown and he becomes the focal point of several conflicting interest groups.  His life disintegrates over the course of 48 hours, and ...

In his introduction to the book, Vonnegut says there are three morals to his tale:

1. We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be;

2. When you're dead, you're dead; and

3. Make love when you can. It is good for you.

In Mother Night, Vonnegut explores ethics.  Can a good person pretending to be evil still be good, and vice versa?  Or are we what we pretend to be and, therefore, must accept personal responsibility for our actions and their consequences, regardless of our true intentions?  Do the ends ever justify the means, even for double-agents?  This is the moral minefield that Vonnegut laid for both Howard W. Campbell, Jr and his readers.

As always, Vonnegut delivers the goods with intelligence and compassion.  Mother Night is one of his best novels, and perhaps the most thought-provoking.  Highly recommended.