866. Operation Shylock

Operation Shylock
Philip Roth
1993
Around 400 pages

I can tolerate Philip Roth, but I think his representation on the List could be cut in half, and this entry belongs in the expendable half. I prefer a more grounded Roth, although at least nobody turned into a boob at the end.

Our main character is Philip Roth (I guess our narrator was a boob after all). He travels to Israel to attend the trial of an accused war criminal John Demjanjuk. Our Roth seeks out an impersonator who has stolen his identity and face. The impersonator aims to spread "Diasporism," a counter-Zionist ideology advocating the return of Jews to their European nations of exile.

One of Roth's favorite topics to tackle is identity, specifically the Jewish identity. I can think a few novels that have played with the doppelganger theme, but I can't think of one that I really enjoyed. It's always so trippy and full of misunderstandings that it gets on my nerves. 

I don't really have umbrage to take with the quality of writing in this novel, just wasn't my cup of tea when it came to story, although some of the real life historical elements made the experience more enjoyable. Five more Roths to go, but they do get better.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Received the 1993 PEN/Faulkner Award for best novel.

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