by Philip Roth
First published 1999
In 1990s America, renowned classics professor Coleman Silk hides a decades-old secret. When an offhand remark is misconstrued as racist, his once-enviable life spirals into disgrace. As the scandal intensifies, writer Nathan Zuckerman investigates, uncovering Silk's forbidden interracial affair. But Silk's greatest revelation—the truth about his own identity—threatens to destroy everything. Amidst the uproar, one man must decide how much he's willing to risk to protect his past.
Genres: american-fiction, 20th-century, 21st-century, academic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: secrets, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Newark (N.J.)
Period: 1990s
361 pages · Paperback · Vintage Books
Content warnings: racism