Nemesis, Philip Roth
The only way this photo of Philip Roth could be better is if it were in Newark (which I originally thought it was. It's very easy to confuse Newark and New York City.)
Fast Facts
- 304 pages
- Roth claims he is now retired, and this is his last book (out of around 30)
- A deeply engaging and quick read that transports you to Newark in the heat of summer, World War II, and a polio epidemic - admittedly, not somewhere you necessarily want to be, but still an enjoyable read
- Not my favorite Philip Roth of those I've read - that distinction goes to The Human Stain - but certainly an example of why Roth is one of America's most iconic writers
- It's hard not to root for playground director/hero Bucky Cantor, even though you know Roth's plans for him can't be good
- Despite the ominous overtones, there's a surprising amount of nostalgia and rosiness to the Newark and Catskills scenes that make the book worth recommending
Sweet, Sweet Newark
I left my job in the city and started working in Newark at the beginning of the year, and - despite the out-sized reaction of some loved ones (i.e. dispensing advice like: "walk in the above-ground tunnels connecting the train station to office buildings so that you never have to set foot on the pavement") - I've been very curious about the city. Some of that curiosity stems from reading Philip Roth. For example, in his Pulitzer Prize winning American Pastoral, the main character owns a family-run glove factory in Newark, and descriptions of the neighborhoods and industry stuck with me.
I haven't gone so far as to read all of Roth's books, or to take a Philip Roth-themed bus tour of Newark (yet! Maybe I can convince some of my co-workers to come?) Those items are on my to-do list, and I've made some steps towards acclimation by reading Nemesis, learning a little about Roth's childhood in the predominantly Jewish Weequahic neighborhood, and eating at Hobby's Deli (apparently an institution since the 1960's - I think Roth probably left Newark by then, but it feels like a place where he'd order an over-stuffed sandwich.)
Best Gym Teacher Award
From the moment Nemesis starts, you become engrossed in the world of Bucky Cantor. The story is essentially told from Bucky's perspective, though the actual narrator, one of Bucky's young wards on the playground, is more of a narrative construct than a character. Bucky is an athletically-built, javelin-throwing Jewish playground director with terrible eyesight that has kept him out of fighting in World War II with his friends. Devastated by his inability to serve his country, and as a young man who takes himself incredibly seriously (like Roth), Bucky is determined to be a champion playground director.
Unfortunately, Bucky is beginning his teaching career at Weequahic a terrifying time. In 1944, Newark is on the brink a polio outbreak, about a decade before Jonas Salk developed the vaccine that has eradicated the disease (in the United States, at least - Africa has only been polio-free for a year.) The young are particularly vulnerable, and because no one knows what causes the disease, finger-pointing and fear and racial prejudice run as rampant as germs.
Bucky struggles to protect the children he works with and to calm the fears of their families, but of course, he is helpless, and within days he is attending funerals.
Hamstrung by a God Complex
Polio and war are not ultimately Bucky Cantor's worst nemeses. Instead, the protagonist and the book both suffer from Bucky's constant wrestling with religion. Bucky understandably begins to rage against God when he sees the random and terrible damage that polio has wrought on his students. But Bucky can barely have a conversation with his girlfriend without turning it into a debate about faith, and there were portions of the book that began to drag on this topic. If not for Bucky's hatred of God, combined with a very unfortunate God complex, Nemesis would have been a sweeter pill to swallow.
A Period Piece
Though the subject matter is heavy, there is some fun in following Bucky's wanderings around a neighborhood where people are engaged with one another rather than their electronics. You truly get a taste for life in the 1940's, and Roth evinces a wistful affection for bygone times despite the tragedy. Bucky's days are filled with organizing baseball games, writing love notes and making long-distance phone calls, visiting students' homes, going to the hot dog shop, and caring for the grandmother who raised him (and who spends her evenings chatting on the stoop with the neighbors).
Then there is Bucky's trip to the Catskills to be with his new fiancé, Marcia. The hero guiltily flees to a bustling site of summer camp fun filled with Indian powwows and romantic trysts on islands and endless diving into lakes. Though no one and nowhere is safe from peril, Roth captures the flavor of summer and youth, a much-needed but brief respite after the oppressive heat and disease in Newark.
Up Next...
Though the ending of Nemesis was frustrating and the book generally upsetting, the novel was still a fast, immersive, and often enjoyable read. And of course, I haven't had my fill of Roth - or Newark. On a recommendation from my cool publisher friend Molly, I've started The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace. Stay tuned for a review, with some lighter Kate Atkinson novels waiting in the wings.
I haven't gone so far as to read all of Roth's books, or to take a Philip Roth-themed bus tour of Newark (yet! Maybe I can convince some of my co-workers to come?) Those items are on my to-do list, and I've made some steps towards acclimation by reading Nemesis, learning a little about Roth's childhood in the predominantly Jewish Weequahic neighborhood, and eating at Hobby's Deli (apparently an institution since the 1960's - I think Roth probably left Newark by then, but it feels like a place where he'd order an over-stuffed sandwich.)
Best Gym Teacher Award
From the moment Nemesis starts, you become engrossed in the world of Bucky Cantor. The story is essentially told from Bucky's perspective, though the actual narrator, one of Bucky's young wards on the playground, is more of a narrative construct than a character. Bucky is an athletically-built, javelin-throwing Jewish playground director with terrible eyesight that has kept him out of fighting in World War II with his friends. Devastated by his inability to serve his country, and as a young man who takes himself incredibly seriously (like Roth), Bucky is determined to be a champion playground director.
Unfortunately, Bucky is beginning his teaching career at Weequahic a terrifying time. In 1944, Newark is on the brink a polio outbreak, about a decade before Jonas Salk developed the vaccine that has eradicated the disease (in the United States, at least - Africa has only been polio-free for a year.) The young are particularly vulnerable, and because no one knows what causes the disease, finger-pointing and fear and racial prejudice run as rampant as germs.
Bucky struggles to protect the children he works with and to calm the fears of their families, but of course, he is helpless, and within days he is attending funerals.
Hamstrung by a God Complex
Polio and war are not ultimately Bucky Cantor's worst nemeses. Instead, the protagonist and the book both suffer from Bucky's constant wrestling with religion. Bucky understandably begins to rage against God when he sees the random and terrible damage that polio has wrought on his students. But Bucky can barely have a conversation with his girlfriend without turning it into a debate about faith, and there were portions of the book that began to drag on this topic. If not for Bucky's hatred of God, combined with a very unfortunate God complex, Nemesis would have been a sweeter pill to swallow.
A Period Piece
Though the subject matter is heavy, there is some fun in following Bucky's wanderings around a neighborhood where people are engaged with one another rather than their electronics. You truly get a taste for life in the 1940's, and Roth evinces a wistful affection for bygone times despite the tragedy. Bucky's days are filled with organizing baseball games, writing love notes and making long-distance phone calls, visiting students' homes, going to the hot dog shop, and caring for the grandmother who raised him (and who spends her evenings chatting on the stoop with the neighbors).
Then there is Bucky's trip to the Catskills to be with his new fiancé, Marcia. The hero guiltily flees to a bustling site of summer camp fun filled with Indian powwows and romantic trysts on islands and endless diving into lakes. Though no one and nowhere is safe from peril, Roth captures the flavor of summer and youth, a much-needed but brief respite after the oppressive heat and disease in Newark.
Up Next...
Though the ending of Nemesis was frustrating and the book generally upsetting, the novel was still a fast, immersive, and often enjoyable read. And of course, I haven't had my fill of Roth - or Newark. On a recommendation from my cool publisher friend Molly, I've started The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace. Stay tuned for a review, with some lighter Kate Atkinson novels waiting in the wings.
