The Human Stain
(Roth, Philip)
Pulitzer Prize winner (1997) and prolific writer, Phillip Roth, feeds the reader a steady diet of narrative and dialogue in this novel. It didn?t take long for the words to take form onscreen through the wonderful movie of the same name. However, this is a review of the book, not the movie, which is similar but certainly not the same. Roth is a sociopolitical commentator as much as he is a novelist. He successfully weaves together a story of an aging professor and a young illiterate woman who are thrown together almost by chance. They make for an odd, but intriguing couple.
The story between the professor, Coleman Silk, and his lover, Faunia, could not have taken place before the age of Viagra; the nearly-retired Cole wouldn?t have ready to tango and his illicit lover, Faunia, wouldn?t have stayed interested. The pivot point of the plot comes when Cole uses a racial slur, though taken out of context, it is used to end his already failing collegiate career.
A minor warning here: this book is slow to take off. Be patient with it and give the author some latitude to build up his characters and their surroundings. Roth gives all his characters fatal flaws, hence the human stain, which makes it difficult for the reader to readily identify with them. His lover?s estranged husband put the edge on the already sharp razor which has become Cole?s life. The equally unlike friendship that develops between Cole and Zuckerman culminating in a dance lesson.
Most of all, the theme that ties these storylines together against the backdrop of Clinton?s impeachment hearings is how hypocritical we all are when it comes to sex, especially in the aged. But it takes a talented writer like Roth to pull this off. There?s no doubt, once you get past the first few, slow chapters, the steam begins to rise and the reader will find it increasingly difficult to put this novel down.
Resumos Relacionados
- The Blind Assassin
- Once Upon A Blind Date
- Jurrasic Park
- The Middle East Conspiracy And The Fourth Dimension
- The Middle East Conspiracy And The Fourth Dimension
|
|
