Contemporary Reads: Portnoy's Complaint

Portnoy's Complaint (1697) is a novel by Philip Roth. It is largely a rather candid sex-ridden monologue by Alexandre Portnoy. His Jewish upbringing in 1940s New Jersey, his highschool years and his failed relationships with shikses including The Monkey (a Southern illiterate girl called Mary Jane) are all part of the narrative. The climax is Portnoy's visit to Israel where he becomes impotent. Sex features abundantly and explictly. This novel is both funny and poignant.

Contemporary Reads: Everyman

Everyman (2006) is the latest novel by Philip Roth. It is a book about death and physical decay or illness but it is not really sombre or pessimistic. What I admire about this book is the fact that this meditation on death does not resort to religion or philosophy. I am also completely puzzled as to how Roth has made it worked so well.
This is a great novel and I look forward to reading earlier works by this author.