There are certain literary types that we think of as uniquely American. So, it is a surprise to find a Philip Roth protagonist living in England. Henry Nagle is a disgraced, middle-aged college lecturer. A pointless old feud has caused him to willfully destroy what was already a mediocre career. His Oedipal complex causes him to continue to argue with his dead father. It also causes him to date only married women. When Henry mysteriously inherits a luxury apartment, his whole life is called into question. Henry's new apartment comes with responsibilities to a quirky neighbor and a beautiful, divorced waitress. Henry's attempt to make peace with his parents and his life's failings is engaging, but less interesting are the late-in-the-book mysteries and revelations about his mother and aunt. Henry is not the most likable protagonist; however, his honesty and foibles make for a meaningful read.
Marta SegalCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Pressestimmen
“Jacobson is among the most exhilarating of intelligent contemporary novelists.”
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The Guardian“Painful, funny and highly readable. Jacobson is at the top of his verbal form here”
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The Evening Standard“Page for page and sentence for sentence, it confirms Jacobson as, by some distance, the cleverest, funniest, sharpest writer we have”
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The Sunday Telegraph“A rich, unrepentantly funny novel, full of vim and vigour and bolshie cleverness. Its prose pulsates with fresh images”
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The ObserverFrom the Hardcover edition.
