May 7, 2007
Book Review: Portnoy's Complaint (1969)
[ 8 / 10 ]
Portnoy's Complaint: A disorder in which strongly-felt ethical and altruistic impulses are perpetually warring with extreme sexual longings, often of a perverse nature...
Philip Roth's description of the fictional psychological disorder at the forefront of his novel is as precise and succint a synopsis as you're going to find. The book's central (and practically only) character, Alexander Portnoy, is a man intensely struggling and internally warring with issues of inadequacy, depravity and a lack of identity, among other things. During a visit to his psychologist (presumably one of many such trips) he bares his soul, and it is the content of this session that represents the whole of Portnoy's Complaint. The entire book is a single conversation, although "diatribe" might better describe it, as the communication is purely one-sided. Over the course of 300 or so pages Alex discusses every minutae of his life in painful, yet often hilarious, detail, bringing the reader along on a wild and insightful look into a man dealing with many demons...
Portnoy is a fascinating character, which is obviously the only reason why this book is a success; if you are going to focus a story solely on one individual, they better be a good one. This is not to say that Alexander is a model citizen, but he certainly is a well-rounded and multi-layered one. Every positive quality of his is balanced by an equally disgusting vice. And we learn about all of them in excruciating detail as Alex begins his story practically at the beginning, recanting voluminous detail about his early childhood, his tumultous pubescence, and his life after leaving the nest.
The first quality about Portnoy that should be noted is that he's Jewish, since that is the cornerstone of most of his issues. In his family dynamic we get a revealing portrait of a Jewish family in Jersey in the 1940's; the focal point of this portrait, and the driving force behind most of Alex's actions, is his mother. A character study herself, she is passionate, strong-willed, devoted to her family - and the perpetual thorn in Alex's side. His mother seemingly alternates between excessively doting on him, and manipulating his life with the art of a puppeteer. At one point Alex recants several early childhood memories; sitting in his mother's bedroom as she undressed in front of him (a regular occurrence, despite his increasing age) and her threatening his bad behavior with a kitchen knife. She is a woman who clearly sends out mixed signals, and Alex suffers from them throughout his life.
Growing up in a Jewish home, Alex is intensely aware of his heritage; every page is lined with Jewishness. He embraces his lineage not as a religion or nation, but as a badge of honor; throughout the novel he champions his natural talents and makes disparaging remarks about the goyim (Gentiles) with which he interacts. But even in this difference he is conflicted. He both loves and hates non-Jews; from afar he despises their look, their stupidity, and their religion; yet he covets their women and their ability to live normal lives, free from the oppression of being a Jew.
Once we get past his childhood the majority of the book centers around Alex's sexual escapades, which are numerous and disturbing. From his early insatiable appetites, to his post-pubescent obsessions, to his dysfunctional relationships as an adult, every grisly detail of his fractured psyche is laid bare throughout the novel. At times the language is fairly graphic, and the reader should be prepared for frank discussions about sex, fetish, and exploitation. Luckily Roth keeps things light and humorous, preventing the book from descending into pornography; instead, it's just a highly bizarre yet comically quirky discourse on depravity.
The book starts off with a roar and has a great sense of humor about it, as Roth infuses his narrator with a razor sharp wit and the gift of good storytelling. As you might expect, however, the story does bog at times, particularly in the later pages as Alex delves into the minutiae of his adult relationships. However, he wraps things up before it gets out of hand, and considering the ambitious premise of a single monologue as a novel, Roth should be granted some artistic license.
For the most part, I really enjoyed reading this novel. It's not often that I find myself laughing as I read, but there were plenty of laughs in Alex's story. For all his faults, he's really just a mixed-up kid that could have turned out a lot better with a few more positive influences in his life. But he is who he is, and it makes for a mostly hilarious and intensely interesting story of a man struggling with himself. I recommend it for the reader who is not easily offended, and could use a good laugh and a great character study.