On the HahaFiction shelf
Portnoy's Complaint
by Philip Roth
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.
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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.
More funny coming of age
Sources & further reading
- Kirkus review
Review
- Open Library edition record
Library catalog
- ABC Book Club discussion
Review
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