Roth's New Novel is Compelling
WOSU Book Critic Kassie Rose reviews "Indignation" by Philip Roth.

by Kassie Rose

Philip Roth is the author of 29 books. He is the only living American writer to have his work published in a comprehensive, definitive edition by the Library of America. His new novel is "Indignation." WOSU book critic Kassie Rose gives this review.

Philip Roth is a literary icon you can trust to deliver a great story. He's been writing since 1959 when he published his now classic first novel Good-bye Columbus followed in the '60s by another classic Portnoy's Complaint. Through the years, he's boldly unleashed his fictional wit and observation on political issues, sexual myths and cultural topics. He's also staked a narrative claim on the Jewish male in America as a protagonist.

His new book focuses on Marcus Messner, the son of a butcher in Newark, New Jersey. It is 1950, and simultaneous to the United States entering the Korean War, Marcus enters a local college. His father suddenly becomes irrationally and fearfully overprotective, hounding Marcus day and night about what he's doing and where he's going.

The fear is unfounded, though, because Marcus is a prudent, responsible teenager. Granted, there's a war and a draft going on, but that's not what seems to be tormenting Marcus's overwrought father. His vague, abrupt and bizarre paternal freak-out is upsetting to Marcus, and it's a powerful plot element that brilliantly sets us up to be shocked by inevitability.

Marcus seeks refuge by transferring his sophomore year to Winesburg College in northern Ohio. He focuses on studying pre-law and doing well in the Reserved Officers Training Corps to avoid fighting in the Korean trenches.

Marcus, however, never truly gets settled in Ohio. He bumps up against rude roommates, encounters religious prejudice and gets messed up in a dysfunctional relationship with Olivia, a suicidal girl from a privileged Cleveland family.

This small book roars with astonishing, captivating incidents. Included is a confrontation with the conservative college Dean, who accuses Marcus of intolerance. Roth presents this meeting with his typically astute irony and humor because it is the Dean who is intolerant, lecturing Marcus, who's a Jewish atheist, with patronizing authority.

Here is an excerpt of the Dean's lecture from the book's audio version:

"Marcus, what brings us together today, and what is worrying me today, is not your having memorized word for word as a high school debater the contrarianism of a Bertrand Russell that is designed to nurture malcontents and rebels. What worries me are your social skills as exhibited here at Winesburg College. What worries me is your isolation. What worries me is your outspoken rejection of long-standing Winesburg tradition, as witness your response to chapel attendance, a simple undergraduate requirement which amounts to little more than one hour of your time each week for about three semesters."

Marcus endures chapel by singing to himself the Chinese national anthem with its fiery beat and martial words learned in grade school with other allied anthems during World War II. The first line -- "Arise, ye who refuse to be bondslaves!" – provides a clever correlation to Marcus's situation and informs his ultimate downfall.

"Indignation" is much more than a Jewish coming-of-age-at-college story. It's a larger provocative commentary about how and why Marcus's father was right. Roth weaves and resolves a compelling story that's a sparkling accomplishment with an ending you won't soon forget.

"Indignation" by Philip Roth is published by Houghton Mifflin. The audio version is published by Brilliance Audio.

I'm Kassie Rose.

WOSU Book Critic Kassie Rose can be heard Mondays at 12:35pm during NPR's "Day To Day" on WOSU 820.

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