Sabbath's Theatre

Some time ago, Observer blogged about a novel she had read called Sabbath's Theatre.

With my curiosity piqued, I decided to borrow the copy through the CNG Lending Library and give it a read.

I've never read any Philip Roth before. My dad told me that he was apparently banned in Australia in the 60s or 70s for writing a book about a guy who could not stop masturbating.
After reading Sabbath's Theatre, this sounds about right.

Basically, this was the most challenging book I have ever read. Many times I put it down when it was just too hard and too wordy to read, but about halfway through the book I clicked.

Roth, like the absolutely reprehensible protagonist in the book, Mickey Sabbath, was challenging me to put the book down. He wanted me to say it was too hard and give up. So I persevered.

And in the end, it was ultimately a rewarding read. Sabbath is such an unlikeable character - everything he says or does throughout the book is intended to cause pain to the people around him.
He is a twisted old man with an obsession for sex and goes to the point of shutting out or offending pretty much everyone in his life that ever cared about him.

Roth uses the nice little stylistic trick of switching from first to third person about half way through the book, pretty much at the point in which you realise Sabvbath is slowly losing his mind.

*WARNING: spoiler ahead*

In the end though, he ends up with nothing, and while I was expecting a slightly more spectacular ending, in hindsight I thought it was pretty appropriate considering his escapades over the course of the novel.