SlowRain reviewed The ghost writer by Philip Roth
Review of 'The ghost writer' on Goodreads
3 stars
Nathan Zuckerman--a 23-year-old, up-and-coming writer--has the opportunity to spend the night visiting E.I. Lonoff, his most respected idol.
This is Philip Roth's first novel featuring Nathan Zuckerman, whom many think is Roth's alter ego. Having read several Roth novels and knowing a little about him and the things he writes about (he mainly writes about himself in various guises), I felt this was a novel where a younger version of Philip Roth meets an older version of Philip Roth. And, since this is a Roth novel, he's also writing about being Jewish. And, since this is a Roth novel, he's also writing about writing. I don't want to convey the idea that it is an unpleasant novel, just that it's incredibly self-conscious.
The story is a bit slow to start, but it's rather scandalous when you get to the end. While Zuckerman is visiting Lonoff, he's invited by Lonoff and …
Nathan Zuckerman--a 23-year-old, up-and-coming writer--has the opportunity to spend the night visiting E.I. Lonoff, his most respected idol.
This is Philip Roth's first novel featuring Nathan Zuckerman, whom many think is Roth's alter ego. Having read several Roth novels and knowing a little about him and the things he writes about (he mainly writes about himself in various guises), I felt this was a novel where a younger version of Philip Roth meets an older version of Philip Roth. And, since this is a Roth novel, he's also writing about being Jewish. And, since this is a Roth novel, he's also writing about writing. I don't want to convey the idea that it is an unpleasant novel, just that it's incredibly self-conscious.
The story is a bit slow to start, but it's rather scandalous when you get to the end. While Zuckerman is visiting Lonoff, he's invited by Lonoff and his wife to stay the night because of the bad weather. Also staying over is Amy, one of Lonoff's former students. During the course of the novel we come to understand the difficulties a writer faces from all aspects of his or her life, both external and internal.
Zuckerman is necessarily naive, and a likable enough narrator. Lonoff, on the other hand, is self-deprecating, insular, and self-effacing, and is one of the more irritating of Roth's characters.
It's a short novel, and I enjoyed it. However, I imagine it's of more interest to would-be writers and those who take an interest in the act of writing.
