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mvindc 's review for:
American Pastoral
by Philip Roth, Philip Roth
I was immediately grabbed by the writing style, but once the bomb drops (sorry, terrible pun) I was completely hooked because it was such a rollercoaster of emotions. I am so impressed that although I didn't really like any of the main characters, at various points in the story you feel sympathetic for almost all of them (sorry Dawn, except for you). Reading this now as I'm seeing a slightly different version of generational conflict and chaos take place, it's fascinating to see how people build up these stories about themselves as individuals, their families, and their generations, and how each subsequent generation easily dismisses what the previous went through because of what they left for their children. This is a pretty dense book--there's a lot to unpack, and I'm sure I'd gain even more if I read it again, especially with others. I enjoyed this much more than I expected!