| Philip Roth is one of the more interesting writers of American fiction. I have read almost all of his books and have enjoyed all of them. "Indignation" is his latest book. It is a short book about a studious 18 year old man from Newark, NJ. The story takes place in 1951 during the Korean War and, as you might expect, the book tries to provide a lesson against war. An anti-war message is not surprising in today’s political climate and in the indignation that people feel about the Iraq war. What is surprising is the more important lesson that the book imparts–that a single, seemingly inconsequential decision can have a disproportionate impact on one’s life. |
The book is also interesting in that it explores the relationship between a young man; Marcus, and his conservative father. His father’s fear that Marcus will die young drives Marcus to go away to college in the Midwest. In a series of unrelated events, Marcus discovers his fears, his dislike of religion and his sexuality. His lack of real life experience leads to events that are both shocking to him and comical to the reader.
There is a surprise for the reader just past about a quarter of the book that makes this book very unique. I read someone’s review of the book before buying and reading it and that review ruined the surprise. I will not do the same here. Just suffice it to say that it is somewhat shocking and unique for a work of fiction.
Unfortunately, the ending of the book is given away by the surprise. I was also disappointed in the abruptness of the ending of the book. It seemed as if the author got tired of the book and decided to end it suddenly. Regardless of this fact, I still enjoyed "Indignation." It made me think about the small decisions that make such a big difference in life.
