COUNTERLIFE

Roth’s novel won the 1981 National Book Critics Circle Award. Like his other works, this one features a complex plot. Nathan Zuckerman’s movements from New York to Israel to London are highlighted by a series of monologues, eulogies, conversations, letters, and arguments. Throughout the novel, the characters undergo a series of transformations, thus creating a series of counterlives. With George Guidall as the reader, the transition from the written word to audio is flawless. Guidall deftly captures the novel’s intensity and handles the diverse, sometimes perverse, material with ease. In particular, Guidall handles Roth’s often lengthy rants as smoothly as he does the more basic dialogue, allowing listeners the opportunity to ponder the author’s deeper meanings. D.J.S. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 05]