Review of Portnoy’s Complaint – Philip Roth
I had never read any Philip Roth, and since he is widely regarded as an iconic American author, and was first published in 1959, I figured I should. After doing so, I intended, in my review of Portnoy’s Complaint, to write about how much I hated it.
The protagonist, Alexander Portnoy, spends all 289 pages whining, complaining, lamenting, and generally loathing himself and those around him, as hard as he can. His mother is the frighteningly overbearing stereotype of a Jewish mother: she’s controlling, long-suffering, as nosy as the nosiest busybody, and wields guilt like her own custom-made weapon. His father is equally cartoonish, with his entire life seeming to revolve around the operation (or lack thereof) of his bowels, and the many ways in which his son disappoints, despite having all the advantages he himself never did.
Portnoy’s relationships with women, with sex, are fraught with neuroses and obsessive, relentless self-examination. The misogyny, the misanthropy, the fear, mistrust and dislike of both his own sorry self and everything else in Portnoy are exhausting.
I should hate this book – but I have come to realize I don’t. I even sort of like it. Despite the frustration the reader feels at these people ceaselessly nitpicking at each other, Roth wrote the book so impeccably that it’s impossible to not enjoy it, and have humour, even affection, for its bumbling, well-meaning characters. I claimed to hate it, but it never once occurred to me to put it down. Hell, like a relative you love deep-down, but can only tolerate in small doses, I’ll probably revisit Portnoy’s Complaint in a year or so, when I’ve cooled off. Philip Roth’s 29th book, Indignation, was released six weeks ago. Roth’s next release, The Humbling, is due out in 2009.
Tags: Beth Reads, Philip Roth, reviews