Deception

by Philip Roth

Book Overview

Exhibiting all his skill as a brilliant observer of human passion, Roth presents in Deception the tightly enclosed world of adulterous intimacy with a directness that has no equal in American fiction. At the center of the novel are Philip and his lover, an Englishwoman compromised by a humiliating marriage, and the conversation that ensues before and after making love. Copyright Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671703749
• ISBN13: 9780671703745
• Release Date: January 1990
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Required reading for the aspiring novelist

This is a novel written entirely in dialog. With that limitaiton, Roth has to strech the limits of dialog to the maximum in order to do the other work of story-telling. There's a temptation to make the dialog artificially descriptive or discursive. In other words, this could get really dull really fast. For instance: two characters are in a room in which they have met for a clandestine love affair. Here's the dialog. . . "Close you eyes.. . . . Let's see how much attention you've been paying. Describe this room." Now a lesser writer might have used this a way to convey a blunt description. Roth instead allows the second character to talk about (her?) reactions to the room itself and her memories of other rooms. In the course of this ramble, we're dealt bits of detail that add up to a fairly rich picture of the original room, and one that, because it's grounded in emotional reactions, we're not tempted to skim over and forget. The dialog, being Roth's, also has an unmistakeably New York Jewish flavor. It is perhaps the most successful modern rendition of that ethnic-regional accent. Here's an instance: "God, you are your father's son, arent't you?" "Whose should I be instead?" There is a certain fine ear for logic and a certain tone-deafness to the sound of relationships that has to make the knowing observer think about the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It's a special kind ouf speech and for this fine-tuning of the ear- and for Roth's shrewd observations about novel-writing- this is required reading. --Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and the forthcoming novel bang-BANG from Kunati Books. ISBN 9781601640005

Distilled Roth - a fine vintage

"Happy Birthday" "Thanks." "It's Deception by Philip Roth. You'll love it" "Sure?" "Yes" "Why?" "Because it's Philip Roth, and it's clever, and it's humane, and it's about love and about trust and about sex." "Like Portnoy's Complaint and Sabbath's Theater?" "Well, no. You see it's written completely in dialogue" "Completely?" "With one or two stage directions, but otherwise completely in dialogue" "and what's it about?" "A writer called Philip" "Philip?" "Yes, Philip. Roth doesn't bother with Zuckerman here" "So, what does Philip do?" "He talks. Just talks. To his wife. To his mistress or mistresses." "Plural?" "Yes, plural." "So he talks." ... "Just talks?" "Yes. Although it's cleverly done. In some sections you don't know if it's Philip, or a woman talking at first. Your whole perception can be changed depending on how you read these scenes." "And you liked it?" "Of course. I loved it. It's up there with American Pastoral and Sabbath's Theater. But it's distilled Roth. There's nothing unnecessary."

Clever and well written

Deception is a smart, witty well written novel with a great twist at the end. This is a very unique all-dialogue novel that really works. I found the storyline not only intriguing but very compelling as well. Interested readers may also want to try reading VOX and FRIED CALAMARI, two other all dialogue novels that I found to be compelling and entertaining.

A stylish feat of literary legerdemain

Philip Roth's Deception is a whirlwind of voyeuristic visits with two witty, articulate adults engaged in an adulterous affair. In this swift novel, Roth has performed a stylish piece of literary legerdemain: no word is written outside of quotation marks. The flowing rivulets of conversation between the couple give the reader such a strong sense of proximity one almost feels he or she is eavesdropping. It speaks to Roth's authorial prowess that, despite this lack of background and description outside the characters' conversations, the reader is seldom left uninformed (and, if the reader can't always keep up, Roth sweeps them along anyway!). This cinematic technique lends a strong sense of immediacy and vitality to the characters. Roth's ear for spoken language is keen: nothing sounds contrived. The lovers' bantering undulates around the theme of deception -- deceiving one's spouse, deceiving one's self. Ultimately, we wonder if Roth himself is deceiving us. Roth also gives us glimpses, through the couple's banterings, of his important themes, such as nationality, Anti-Semitism, and love. After this compelling novel, the first-time Roth reader is inspired to tackle his longer, more epic works, such as Portnoy's Complaint and Sabbath's Theater. Our brief visit with Roth's world entices us to come again