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Indignation by Philip Roth (view source)
Revision as of 12:34, 17 August 2020
, 12:34, 17 August 2020no edit summary
It soon occurred to me this is one of those books that one can read either straight or funny. It will lose nothing, like the best of them, if one fails to read it as sarcastic, insincere and arch, and instead assume the narration is told with honesty, and give it a straight reading. Here, however, the character is too much of an unreliable narrator (even though he says often he will only do things well, if at all), and there is too much bordering on farce, and comedy of manners, for us to be mistaken for long. The author's intent is more than clear enough.
This then is a sprightly, lively work of fiction, with a very strong way under the skin of a rather weak character, which marked this out for me. It didn't leave me with the feeling this was a hundred per cent lifelike, but it was very likeable for all that. It looks a novella, but reads like a novel, which I also enjoyed. It was my first Roth, and only proves my long-held theory that one should approach the works of classic authors like him through their more frivolous and quirky works to get the best entertainment.
I must thank Vintage Books' kind people for my review copy.
For more of nineteen -fifties America , you might like to try [[Home by Marilynne Robinson]]. You might also enjoy [[Byron Easy by Jude Cook]].
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