Five Novels That’ll Make You Laugh Out Loud

It’s nearly impossible to pick one Vonnegut novel, but I just finished a re-read of Mother Night, so it’s today’s lucky winner. Mother Night is narrated by an American playwright who goes undercover as a high-ranking Nazi propagandist during World War II. It’s dark, sure, but filled to the brim with the same gallows humor Vonnegut fans know and love. It’s the best combination–one second you’re laughing at the absurdity of life, and then you’re reeling from the cruelty of it. A classic. “We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.”

Lamb by Christopher Moore is the story of Jesus Christ’s “lost” years, recounted by his childhood buddy, Biff. I was raised Catholic–recovery’s going well, thanks for asking–and I first read Lamb during sophomore year of high school. It came to me during a perfect storm of adolescent angst and irreverence. While there’s plenty of that to be found here, this book is ultimately about compassion, empathy, and unconditional love. And it’s f*ckin’ riotous. “It's wildly irritating to have invented something as revolutionary as sarcasm, only to have it abused by amateurs.”

Flora Poste, the heroine of Stella Gibbon’s Cold Comfort Farm, gives Mary Poppins a run for her money. After her father passes, Flora moves in with her rural relatives and attempts to whip the household into shape. Published in 1932, the novel pokes fun at overly-romanticized depictions of country life without ever relying on cruelty or (super) harsh derision to make its point. There’s something really fun about watching pragmatism cut clean through the heart of melodrama. Perfect for anyone who’s ever wanted to shake an ill-starred uncle and say, “JUST USE YOUR HEAD.”

Erasure by Percival Everett–the novel behind the Academy Award winning movie, American Fiction–is every bit as brilliant as its adaptation. Erasure follows Thelonious "Monk" Ellison, an African-American writer and academic whose serious literary work is largely ignored. Frustrated by the success of stereotypical “Black” novels, he writes a parody under a pseudonym. And, what do you know… it’s a smash hit. Equal parts scathing satire and rich family drama, Erasure is infuriating, eye-opening, brutal and hilarious. A must-read. “The world demands that you introduce yourself twice, first as you are, and second as you are told to be.”

If you design your cover to look like one of those oversized spray painted t-shirts you get in Florida, I’m gonna give it a shot. Made for Love by Alissa Nutting stars Hazel, a woman on the run from her hyper-controlling tech-billionaire husband. Desperate and crazed, Hazel moves into a senior citizen trailer park with her father and Diane, his sex doll. Do I need to say anymore? That’s enough, right? Made for Love is peak satire.