Day Six: The Humbling

It's a beautiful Sunday afternoon, albeit a bit on the nippy side. And it's Day six in The 24 Days of Books! The prolific Philip Roth has another new novel this season, called The Humbling. This small volume deals with many of the themes familiar to Roth’s readers. The story of an aging actor who has lost his juice, the narrative takes a shockingly erotic turn. In this, his thirtieth (!) book, Roth follows up on the dark meditations on mortality and endings that were present in Everyman and Exit Ghost, and the bitterly ironic retrospect on youth and chance in Indignation. This would make a lovely holiday gift for all the legions of Roth fans out there.