Category: From Page to Screen

Book Review: Indignation by Philip Roth

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indignation

Coming of age story set in 1950’s America

About the Book

Description (courtesy of Goodreads):   It is 1951 in America, the second year of the Korean War. Marcus Messner, a studious, law-abiding, intense young man from Newark, New Jersey is beginning his sophomore year on the pastoral, conservative campus of Ohio’s Winesburg College. And why is he there and not at the local college in Newark where he originally enrolled? Because his father, the sturdy, hard-working neighbourhood butcher, seems to have gone mad – mad with fear and apprehension of the dangers of adult life, the dangers of the world, the dangers he sees in every corner for his beloved boy. However, life is full of unimagined chances and their potential consequences.

My Review

This is my first Philip Roth book and, based on this one, it won’t be my last.

In order to avoid the draft, Marcus must graduate from college and since he is studious, highly intelligent and diligent, this won’t be a problem, will it? That’s if he can navigate the distractions provided by room-mates and the opposite sex – not to mention complying with the rules of the conservative Winesburg College. However, Marcus’ encounter with a female student has unexpected consequences and sets off a chain of events that will change the course of Marcus’ life.

I loved the dry humour of the dialogue and the eccentric cast of characters, balancing out the darker elements of the novel – all delivered in Roth’s effortless, flowing prose. A standout scene is Marcus’ interview with Dean Caudwell which is very funny and perfectly captures the pompous nature of the Dean and the youthful arrogance of Marcus.  I also have to mention the curved ball delivered by the author (in my copy, on page 54). Suddenly, you realise the book is going to go in a completely different direction and Marcus’ father’s warning to his son that ‘the tiniest misstep can have tragic consequences’ changes from seeming humorously paranoid to downright prophetic.

This book forms part of my From Page to Screen Reading Challenge and I will be posting a comparison between the book and the film separately.

Book facts: 233 pages, publication date September 2008

My rating: 4 (out of 5)

In three words: Satirical, funny, thought-provoking

Try something similar…any other Philip Roth!

About the Author

Philip Milton Roth is an American novelist who gained early literary fame with the 1959 collection Goodbye, Columbus (winner of 1960’s National Book Award), cemented it with his 1969 bestseller Portnoy’s Complaint, and has continued to write critically-acclaimed works, many of which feature his fictional alter ego, Nathan Zuckerman. The Zuckerman novels began with The Ghost Writer in 1979, and include American Pastoral (1997) (winner of the Pulitzer Prize). In May 2011, he won the Man Booker International Prize for lifetime achievement in fiction.

From Page to Screen: The Light Between Oceans

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oceansfrom-page-to-screenoceans-film

About the Book – The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

Tom Sherbourne takes up a post as lighthouse keeper on the remote Janus Rock, half a day’s boat ride from the mainland of Australia. During his first shore leave, he meets and falls in love with Isabel. They marry and return to Janus together but their attempts to start a family end in miscarriage and still birth, plunging Isabel into profound grief. One April morning, a small boat washes up on Janus; its occupants are a dead man and a baby girl. Against Tom’s better judgment, he acquiesces to Isabel’s plea to claim the baby as their own. This decision will have devastating consequences for all involved.

Read my review of the book here.

About the Film – The Light Between Oceans (2016)

The Light Between Oceans was adapted and directed by Derek Cianfrance and stars Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander as Tom and Isabel. More information about the film can be found here.

Book vs. Film (Some spoilers)

The film follows the book closely but, naturally, has to omit or amend some events and minor characters. Fassbender and Vikander are well cast as Tom and Isabel, although to my mind Fassbender’s Tom appears slightly older than I’d imagined him from the book. The scenes in which Isabel loses her babies are heartrending and Vikander’s depiction of Isabel’s grief at her loss is convincing. The main difference in characterisation I noted was that of the baby’s true mother (played by Rachel Weitz). She is depicted as grief-stricken rather than fixated, almost to the point of madness, with the idea her husband and baby are still alive, as in the book. A great cast of supporting actors bring to life the inhabitants of Point Parteguese.

The cinematography is wonderful, particularly the rendering of the views of sea and sky from Janus Rock.  The wind and waves are an ever-present feature of the soundtrack in the scenes set on the island. Janus Rock in the film is larger than I had imagined from the book but the location captures perfectly the remoteness and raw beauty of the place. Naturally, you learn a lot less about the mechanics of lighthouse keeping from the film than from the book (almost none in fact!).

The Verdict

The film is a lush cinematic experience that dramatizes many of the events in the novel but omits or changes others. Crucially, a lot of Tom’s back story is missing which I think makes it harder to understand and completely accept his actions. The book makes clear his actions are driven by an overwhelming sense of guilt at having survived the First World War when so many of his comrades did not and the legacy of his difficult family background. The reservations I had about the book – whether I could believe in Isabel’s ultimate choice and the sentimental ending – are present in the film as well. However, it is beautiful to look at, it tells the main story well and the acting is excellent. On balance, though, I think book wins out.

What do you think?  If you’ve read the book and seen the film, which did you prefer?