Philip Roth’s astonishing late flourish (long may it continue, of course) takes an even darker turn with this short novel. In fact, it is really more of a novella in that it contains the seeds of a longer work which are treated with great rapidity and intensity. It begins with the protagonist facing up to the loss of his ability to work – he is a famous stage actor in America, the last great classical actor, indeed – and he finds it difficult to cope with this emasculation, especially since it gives his most recent wife the opportunity to leave him.
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