With an Introduction by Howard Jacobson. Set in the Closing Months of World War Ii in an American Bomber Squadron Off the Coast of Italy, Catch-22 is the Story of a Bombardier Named Yossarian Who is Frantic and Furious Because Thousands of People He Has Never Even Met Keep Trying to Kill Him. Joseph Heller's Bestselling Novel is a Hilarious and Tragic Satire on Military Madness, and the Tale of One Man's Efforts to Survive It.