The Counterlife

by Philip Roth

First published 1986

A suburban dentist, a genteel Englishwoman, and an Israeli settler each seek renewal, but at what cost? As their lives intersect and diverge, the line between reality and imagination blurs, forcing each character to confront the consequences of their choices. Roth's dazzling, unpredictable novel explores the fictions we construct around ourselves.

Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, novels, 20th-century, contemporary, 21st-century

Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking

Tropes: unreliable-narrator

Setting: England, Israel

Period: 20th-century, 21st-century

324 pages · Hardcover · Farrar, Straus and Giroux

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