Amazingly well done! It is wonderful on many levels.

First, each of approximately 10 characters speaks a narrative in a VERY different voice. This shows a cool variety of viewpoints about several recurring topics.

Often, the narrated events are simply described from a different perspective. But sometimes, they even reverse(!). For example, the victim becomes triumphant, the betrayed emerges victorious, and the deceased commemorates the (previous) survivor's funeral.

Sometimes, the book includes amazingly well-assembled expository essays, presented as monologues, by passionate and thoughtful characters. In sequential chapters, quite opposite points of view are heard, but not necessarily in direct arguments.

The topics may be spoilers, so perhaps it's best to skip over this list:

- Health risks for sexual gain

- Literary assaults on the author's family's privacy and even his theft of their autonomy

- Modern western anti-semitism

- Jews' complex feelings about Zionism

Since so much of Roth's work is a question about whether/how much of Zuckerman's story is his own life, I looked up and found that he does have a brother (older than he) named Sandy Roth (who recently died).

There's a study-group essay at this site. It spoils more than I do, but it also provides thought and discussion questions.

The Counterlife is a complex and engaging work by Philip Roth.

It begins with Nathan Zuckerman imagining his own death and the reactions of those around him. In reality, it's his brother Henry who undergoes heart bypass surgery and nearly dies. Both brothers have their reasons for choosing such a dangerous procedure, related to their sexual and personal issues.

Henry survives and reinvents himself as a political Zionist, fleeing to an Israeli settlement. Nathan follows him to find out what's going on and is met with lectures from the settlers. Meanwhile, Nathan is stalked by a deranged fan, Jimmy.

On the return flight, Nathan encounters Jimmy again, who is disguised and armed. Jimmy has a plan to demand the closure of all holocaust museums. In an alternative timeline, Nathan dies and Henry tries to attend the funeral and destroy a novella incriminating him.

The book ends with an interview with Maria, Nathan's upstairs neighbor. The Counterlife is a postmodern and metafictional work, full of Roth's signature voice and style. While it may feel a bit cobbled together at times, it's still a great read and a precursor to Roth's best work. Four stars.

**The Question before Finkler**

Entertaining, thought-provoking, technically brilliant, and timely. It's also timely in its connection to another highly praised book, Howard Jacobson's The Finkler Question, the recent Man Booker winner. Coincidentally, a friend gave me her copy of Roth's work on the same day I bought Jacobson's; neither of us linked the two. But now, having thoroughly enjoyed both, I'm amazed at how closely Roth anticipates Jacobson 34 years later. Both authors handle the same subjects - male libido and Jewish identity, not necessarily in that order - in the same context (Roth's book is partly set in England, Jacobson's entirely). They also use the same sardonic humor (though Jacobson spells it "humour"). Regarding contemporary events, the 3.5-decade time gap seems insignificant: Roth refers to Western condemnation of Israel's actions in the Yom Kippur War; Jacobson's characters worry similarly about Gaza. Both writers venture into the area between antisemitism and paranoia; Roth is more neurotic, but his satire has more bite, and in my opinion, he's the greater author.

Roth has two constant themes in his work: Judaism and sex. The Counterlife explores both, albeit from an indirect perspective, as his characters aren't devout Jews nor always sexually capable. The book starts with Henry Zuckerman, a successful Newark dentist under forty, impotent due to a side effect of his heart medication. Sex was what he once enjoyed (with both a mistress and a wife) but can no longer have. He takes the extreme step of having a risky bypass operation to make a radical change in his life. In the next section, Roth presents a different outcome for Henry's story, where he abandons his comfortable American secularism and moves to Israel as a passionate Zionist, living in a militant West Bank settlement and studying Hebrew and Torah. In each of these scenarios, Henry is visited by his older brother, the successful novelist Nathan Zuckerman, who appears in several other Roth novels and is clearly the author's alter ego. Roth (or Nathan) has several other variations in store, but each involves an attempt at a radical life change, moving from the fringes to the heart of an issue. He calls it "the construction of a counterlife that is one's own antimyth […] a species of fabulous utopianism," thus explaining the book's title.

Writing through an alter ego who is a character in the book allows the author to play narrative tricks once called Pirandellian but now labeled post-modern. One, as I mentioned, is the ability to change the story at will. The five sections of the book - Basel, Judea, Aloft, Gloucestershire, and Christendom, though not all set in those places - contradict each other in several significant ways, emphasizing the author's control over the story. The Gloucestershire section (a key to the whole) even changes direction three times in eighty pages; it begins with the author writing about his own funeral and ends with a preview of the final Christendom section, discussed by two characters who will appear in it. While some literal readers may find this confusing, I found it easy to accept the parameters of each section, as if they were the only realities for the time being. The switches not only add intellectual excitement but also deepen the perspective and the seriousness of the issues being addressed, despite Roth's typically flippant tone.

While Judaism and sex continue to vie for attention, the sexual aspects are ultimately secondary. It's more about a midlife crisis and the eternal question: Is this really all I am? The answer may be sought through adultery or divorce, or conversely, by a former playboy settling down and starting a family; both are present in this novel. The common element is a radical and often hasty life change, the Counterlife. What makes the book more than just a soap opera is that Roth also poses the who-am-I question in terms of ethnic and religious identity: What does it mean to be a secular Jew in a largely assimilated society? Is it Israel's role to be what he calls the American-Jewish Australia, taking in misfits trying to find themselves as a people? His Judea section is excellent in its portrayal of many different views of that extraordinary society, many extreme, few compatible, but all essentially true. When Nathan claims to find similar battlefields in the dining rooms of Mayfair and the meadows of Gloucestershire, he's exaggerating greatly - but he speaks powerfully to the need of so many of us, Gentile and Jewish alike, to define ourselves in opposition to the world around us, rather than settling for the quiet beauty of the ordinary.

I'm not entirely certain if this eerie novel can measure up to the absolute best works of Roth such as American Pastoral, Sabbath's Theater, Patrimony, and The Ghost Writer.

However, what I do know for sure is that it has firmly taken hold of my mind. It has colonized my brain in such a way that I am fully aware that I will have to keep coming back to it.

The wisdom and authority that this novel exudes are simply captivating. I anticipate that for a long time to come, I will find myself irresistibly drawn to its pages, eager to uncover more of its hidden treasures and gain a deeper understanding of its profound insights.

It has left an indelible mark on me, and I am curious to see how it will continue to influence my thoughts and perspectives as I revisit it time and time again.

**"Zuckerman Encadenado: A Complex and Thought-Provoking Novel"**

Published on http://lecturaylocura.com/la-contravida/

It's a good moment, after the Prince of Asturias, to present this review of one of the books of this colossus of American letters that had been long overdue.

In the dense and exceptional "Zuckerman Encadenado", we witness the creation of Philip Roth's most famous alter ego (another being the very sexual David Kepesh) through a book consisting of three books and a wonderful and complex epilogue. In "La contravida", we have the "second" novel with Nathan Zuckerman as the protagonist, if we consider the previous ones as a single book.

The reading of this last one becomes more complicated as the pages progress. It starts in the Rothian way, with his always-present themes (Judaism, anti-Semitism, father-son relationships, underlying sex...) and the structure is clear from the beginning, as there are five episodes that, moreover, as we read them, will develop in various geographical locations: Newark, Israel, an airplane, New York, and England.

In the first episode, we find a Roth in full form, with the narration of Nathan's brother until he dies due to an operation that could solve his problems in maintaining sexual relations with his English lover. From there, it is Nathan who takes over the point of view, and we already see how the idea of anti-Semitism is deconstructively extended to the Jews themselves.

"I insisted on the idea that the US was not reduced to Jews and Gentiles nor was anti-Semitism the main problem of American Jews. Saying 'Let's admit it, for Jews the problem is always the goyim can have its grain of truth at times'."

In the second part, the place where it takes place changes drastically. What seems like a flashback of the previous story, where Henry would have gone to Israel, we see as we read that Henry has survived the operation, but, however, has gone to such a distant place to become a true Jew. He has had an epiphany, in the words of his own brother: "I was them", "I am deep down like those Jews".

He takes advantage of this scenario to describe from his point of view what the Jewish nation has become: "This, you understand, was supposed to be the place where the note consisted of becoming a normal Jew. Instead, we have become the obsessive Jewish prison par excellence. Instead, this place is the breeding ground for all variants of madness that the Jewish genius is capable of conceiving."

And to introduce the interesting concept of "assimilationism":

"-But assimilation and mixed marriages in the US are causing a second Holocaust. Truly a spiritual Holocaust is occurring in the US and it is as lethal as the threat that the Arabs represent to the state of Israel. What Hitler did not achieve in Auschwitz, American Jews are doing in the bedrooms [...] Before it was extermination by the hard way; now it is extermination by the soft way."

Up to here, we have two seemingly independent but united stories. What remains to be known is where this union will lead. However, after the comic interlude that takes place on an airplane, everything changes radically and what seemed like one type of novel becomes another.

This surprise is that in the fourth episode, Nathan dies from the same type of operation that Henry underwent in the first one, and where Henry becomes the narrator, trying to find the rest of the written parts of Nathan's book (under the pseudonym of Carnovsky) to destroy them.

The "apparent" conventionality of the first chapters transforms the novel into a reflection on the novel and its author related to reality. Thus, in the words of his editor at the funeral:

"If we are to speak properly, let's say that there can be no distortion or falsification in a work that is not journalism nor history as there can be no accusations of incorrect exposure against a text that has no obligation whatsoever to collect its sources 'correctly'."

Roth has always been aware of what he was writing and takes advantage of the death of his alter ego, if it was truly one, to express his concerns regarding the influence and importance of the novel in society, and more in Jewish society:

"Why do the readers of Carnovsky so often wonder if it is a novel? [...] First, as I have already said, because it disguises its condition as a writer and its style reproduces exactly the affective anguish. Second, because it treads on unexplored territory in the realm of transgression by describing so explicitly the sexuality of family life."

And we find one of the keys to the story in the following words from the editor's mouth:

"In short: they thought that Nathan was talking about himself in the novel and that, therefore, he was crazy; because for them to do such a thing, they would have had to go crazy."

Roth himself is telling us that Zuckerman is not him, he does not speak through Zuckerman, which is why he kills him, without compassion, in his second novel.

To finish, we have another change of style and narration. In England, we see that Nathan now lives with María and among Gentiles (Catholics). It seems like an English domestic story and he also uses the epistolary to relate the letters between the two spouses.

Seeing the entire work, then we have faced four different, diverse realities, where the internal coherence has been brutally destroyed in a self-conscious way by Roth. This fragmentation is the sign of the times, the doubts in the face of a reality that is crumbling, where the characters are interchanged and you don't know what to hold on to.

It is the story of a master who tries to experiment with the essence, with the form, with the narrative points of view, and all this to make us reflect, to make us see the importance of the author and his work, and what influences our reality.

This novel has made me realize that, at least in its first years, chronological reading is essential, as the narrative unity of his career could be affected and, of course, not enjoy it in the way it deserves.

He is a titan, there is no doubt, but whoever starts with this work may not return to him.

Interesante y denso.

It touches on many themes, ranging from the different identity approaches of the Jewish people - the foundation - to sexuality or narrative art.

Moreover, the novel itself is a literary game that has pleasantly surprised me.

The exploration of the Jewish identity is particularly fascinating as it delves into the various aspects that shape their sense of self.

Sexuality is another theme that is handled with delicacy and depth, adding an extra layer of complexity to the story.

The narrative art in the novel is masterful, with the author skillfully weaving together different plotlines and characters.

Overall, this is a novel that not only entertains but also makes the reader think about important issues.

It is a must-read for anyone interested in literature, history, or the human condition.

I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a thought-provoking and engaging read.

Hard to put down,

this is a rare feeling when it comes to reading a book by Philip Roth. The story within this particular work is truly amazing.

It contains meta-stories, and even meta-meta-stories that describe a multiverse.

The question of which one is the actual story remains unclear, especially considering that there are later books featuring the Zuckerman character.

Thanks to the rich tapestry of stories,

the amount of introspection in this book is maintained at just the right level.

It doesn't overwhelm the reader but rather adds depth and nuance to the overall narrative.

As one delves deeper into the book,

they are constantly surprised and engaged by the complexity and creativity of Roth's storytelling.

It's a literary masterpiece that keeps the reader hooked from beginning to end.

Sono sufficienti 5 anni di decantazione e una rilettura per passare da una valutazione tiepida al massimo dell’apprezzamento? Probabilmente tanti libri sono passati sotto i miei ponti nel periodo intercorso e anch’io sono maturata come lettrice. Tuttavia, sono certa che una grossa parte di merito vada alla nuova e più brillante traduzione.

E’ un libro complesso, un progetto ambizioso. Anche se è godibile, richiede una lettura attenta. Solo così è possibile apprezzare anche la costruzione, rendendo il giusto merito al risultato. Non c’è una trama, anzi ce ne sono molte. È un gioco di incastri tra finzioni: il romanziere che immagina una storia e vive nella realtà immaginata dallo scrittore, i personaggi di questa storia che intervengono per mescolare le carte. È finzione finta o vera? È realtà immaginata o vissuta?

Vale la pena spendere due parole sull’estrema acutezza delle riflessioni. Si tratta dell’identità ebraica, della morte, del caso, del sesso, del solito dilemma fra vita spericolata o ordinaria esistenza. Per chi conosce l’Autore niente di nuovo ma, tanto per ribadire, non capita spesso di trovare libri che coniughino il piacere dell’intelletto con la vera goduria della costruzione letteraria. E questo è, a mio avviso, uno di quegli eventi fortunati.

I started reading the book with the impression that it was an incredibly well-written and intellectual exploration of an incredibly misogynistic and explicit character. As I delved deeper into the story, I still held that view to some extent. However, I also found myself asking more questions about American Jewish identity. The entire reading experience was truly astounding and beautiful.

The author's writing style was engaging and captivating, drawing me in from the very beginning. The detailed character study allowed me to understand the complex nature of the protagonist, despite his flaws. The exploration of misogyny was both thought-provoking and uncomfortable at times, forcing me to confront my own biases and assumptions.

Moreover, the questions raised about American Jewish identity added another layer of depth to the book. It made me reflect on the unique experiences and challenges faced by this community, and how they navigate their identity in a diverse and often hostile society. Overall, this book was a remarkable piece of literature that left a lasting impression on me.

I don't know how to do this novel justice.

It is truly a remarkable piece of work.

Imagine a book within a book, with characters who read the book within the book.

It's a concept that is pure genius, and it's a testament to the brilliance of Philip Roth.

Roth's writing is so masterful that he is able to create a world within a world, and the reader is completely drawn in.

The characters are complex and well-developed, and the story is engaging from beginning to end.

It's a shame that Roth is no longer with us, as his work will be greatly missed.

But his legacy will live on through his novels, which will continue to be read and enjoyed for generations to come.

Once more, I find myself completely enchanted by Roth’s wild, impatient imagination.

He dexterously flips stories like pancakes, with such ease and skill that it leaves me in awe.

And in doing so, he creates layer upon layer of fiction, each one more captivating than the last.

It’s all in the service of revealing something that feels (to me, anyway) like truth.

His ability to craft these intricate tales and unearth profound insights is truly remarkable.

This novel is a perfect way to end the year, as it takes the reader on a journey through a world of imagination and truth.

It makes me reflect on my own life and the stories that shape it.

Roth’s work is a testament to the power of fiction to both entertain and enlighten.

I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.

I really like this novel.

It deals with a multitude of perspectives of Judaism.

The author has done an excellent job of presenting different aspects of this rich and complex religion.

From the history and traditions to the beliefs and values, the novel provides a comprehensive look at Judaism.

It allows readers to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the religion and its significance.

The characters in the novel also add to the exploration of Judaism.

Each one has their own unique perspective and experiences, which further enriches the story.

Overall, this novel is a great read for anyone interested in learning more about Judaism or simply enjoying a well-written story.