[ book tip by Emily Bullock ] If ever greatness walked on earth it is Philip Roth. For me this is the best of all his many brilliant works. Every sentence he writes seems to stretch me as a reader, his intelligence and wit are obvious and to be honest if I wasn’t enjoying the book so much I would probably feel a little unworthy in his presence. The story is expertly told by a narrator who only has limited involvement in the events but tells Coleman Silk’s story and investigates the missing pieces for himself. Using this structure the narrator is on the journey with the reader, there is no sense that he is holding back information or rationing it. Every painful detail is revealed to the reader at the same time as it is written.

Coleman is the focus of the story but other people are involved in his life, the college, his lover, her husband, his friend the narrator. It’s a story about secrets and innocence, but innocence itself is never seen as an excuse. Set in 1998 with the backdrop of Bill Clinton being impeached the story reveals for the reader the conflicting state of morality in modern America. Coleman Silk is guilty in the eyes of many before he can even defend himself, and his life is piled with secrets: his affair, his alleged racism to name a few. But his real secret goes deeper than any one around him could think. The Human Stain

[ book info ] Roth, Philip: The Human Stain. (original language: English) Vintage, London, 2000 . ISBN: 0-099-28219-4.