Tuesday, July 15, 2008

American Pastoral

Author: Philip Roth
Bugs: 5
Review by: wsh

Revered high school athlete from working class Newark, NJ attains American success story: graduates college, joins Marines, marries local beauty queen, maintains family manufacturing business, buys dream estate in upscale community, has beloved daughter who - oops - shatters the perfection by blowing up the local general store/post office as an act of protest against the government and the Vietnam War. Another amazing novel by Roth, an analysis of family dynamics, politics, cultures/ethnicities and the sometimes-overwhelming weight of expectations we place on ourselves and on others.

No comments: