# Portnoy's Complaint

By Philip Roth

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/portnoy-s-complaint-ac26307a/

Alexander Portnoy tells his psychoanalyst about growing up in a Jewish American family and reaching adulthood with his sexual desires and guilt still at war. His complaints run from childhood indignities to his life as a lawyer.

## What makes it funny?

Portnoy's mother can turn leaving the house without a jacket into a forecast of hospitalization and disease. Even a closed bathroom door invites an anxious interrogation, making privacy almost impossible for her embarrassed son.

### The comedy at work

Roth gives Portnoy a rush of spoken confession, with self-deprecation, resentment and sexual fantasies competing for space. Family conversations and adult complaints arrive through the same aggrieved voice.

### Try this if…

The appeal lies in a forceful comic narrator and uncomfortable family intimacy. Readers who enjoy extended monologues have more to follow here than those looking for a conventional plot.

### Good to know

Sexual descriptions and masturbation are central material, alongside guilt and family pressure. Portnoy's angry account of his parents and partners can be abrasive.

## What to expect

- Genre: Contemporary & literary
- On the shelf: Coming of age · Family comedy
- The atmosphere: Irreverent
- Audience: Adult
- Format: Novel

## Sources & further reading

- Review: [Kirkus review](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/philip-roth/portnoys-complaint)
- Library catalog: [Open Library edition record](https://openlibrary.org/books/OL1092332M/Portnoy's_complaint)
- Review: [ABC Book Club discussion](https://www.abc.net.au/tv/firsttuesday/s2898534.htm)