The Humbling by Philip Roth

 

This is an odd one. It’s a Philip Roth novella where the writing remains compelling though the plot fizzles out at an early stage. It’s not very good, but could have been if the themes in it been developed. The book is only 140 pages long, but inflated by large print and larger margins, so by the time it reaches paperback it’ll be, maybe, 70 pages. The plot concerns Simon Axler, a once renowned actor, who has seemingly lost his talent. The reasons for this are unclear, though taking on the dual role of Prospero and Macbeth may have been a challenge too far. It’s tempting to suggest that Axler is Roth, who’s dramatising writer’s block, but the problem seems much richer. However, the book veers away from this promising subject when Roth has Axler take up with a younger woman, Pegeen, who has been a lesbian most of her life, and they embark on an odd, and frankly dull, relationship that becomes ridiculous rather than dramatic. It’s readable, but it fails by becoming boring more than any technical fault. A squib of a book, but one with enough talent in evidence to suggest that Roth is still capable of better. [Ryan Agee]