The Counterlife (1986) is a novel by the American author Philip Roth. It is the fourth full novel to feature the fictional novelist Nathan Zuckerman. However, when The Counterlife was published, Zuckerman had most recently appeared in a novella called The Prague Orgy, the epilogue to Zuckerman Bound. It is reported that French director Arnaud Desplechin is working on a screen adaptation of the novel.
The novel opens with what appears to be an ent...
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The Counterlife (1986) is a novel by the American author Philip Roth. It is the fourth full novel to feature the fictional novelist Nathan Zuckerman. However, when The Counterlife was published, Zuckerman had most recently appeared in a novella called The Prague Orgy, the epilogue to Zuckerman Bound. It is reported that French director Arnaud Desplechin is working on a screen adaptation of the novel.
The novel opens with what appears to be an entry in Zuckerman's journal about his younger brother Henry. Henry is a forty year old dentist with a wife and kids. He has opted for the safety of a traditional profession and family life in contrast to Nathan, the famous writer with whom Henry clashes throughout the Zuckerman novels.
Henry has been diagnosed with advanced obstructive arterial disease. His medical prognosis leaves him with two options. He can either go on medication that will halt the progress of the blockage and save his life but leave him sexually impotent or he can opt for...
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