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Alex Portnoy is in therapy. And boy, does he need it!! But rarely has therapy been this funny � at least from the outsider’s perspective.

Why this book was controversial when it was published in the 60s is obvious: it’s brutally honest and confessional about things that were (and sometimes still are) best not discussed in polite company (bowel movements and masturbation are just the tip of the iceberg here � I don’t think there’s a single PC page in this novel). And Roth had the talent to make these topics hilarious � which I’m sure must have confused and freaked out a few prim and proper readers 40-odd years ago. None of this is really shocking now, but I kept trying to imagine my grandfather’s face if he had read this, and I’m pretty sure he would have blushed, coughed and then discreetly buried the conspicuous yellow book under his tomato plants (I think overbearing Jewish mothers sound a lot like overbearing Italian mothers, so I think it would have hit close to home, too).

But reading it in 2020, I can’t help but feel like Roth was ahead of his time in many ways. There is a fearlessness in Roth’s prose in this book, which one might attribute to the fact that this was his debut novel, but even when he wrote things I strongly disagree with (oh, the 60s casual sexism and homophobia�), I couldn’t help but admire the panache. I feel that panache, like the effective use of symbolism, is something that’s not so easily found in more contemporary literature, and that makes me sad, because it’s a quality that breathes life into a story in a very palpable way.

Portnoy is trying to figure out who he is, how his family background and cultural patrimony fit in America. Cultural identity is such an amazingly complex and layered thing, and this long monologue Alex delivers to his therapist is a sometimes horrifying and endearing but always fascinating glimpse into the mind of an all too human mess of a man. Anyone who had to deal with an over-bearing parent will cringe with the familiarity of the Portnoy family dynamics.

I didn't like it as much as "American Pastoral" (/review/show...) and "The Human Stain" (/review/show...)- it's clearly not as sophisticated, but it shows Roth cutting his teeth rather brilliantly. Even if you don't like Alex much, getting to know him so intimately was an unforgettable adventure.