Nemesis by Philip Roth

Nemesis by Philip Roth is the latest (last?) in his series Nemeses which includes The Humbling, Indignation, Everyman, and the Humbug. I've only read Nemesis.

I've not read a lot of Roth. Here's the list:

Goodbye, Columbus
The Human Stain
The Plot Against America

I've loved each of them, including Nemesis

so why don't I read more Roth?

Roth is to me like Joyce Carol Oates. I don't think I'm smart enough to understand Roth or Oates so I avoid reading them. When I do brave those waters, I'm completely overwhelmed by their intelligence and ultimately glad I made the effort.

Nemesis takes place during the polio epidemic, 1944. The main characer, Bucky, is such an innocently decent man, honest, somewhat simple but not simple-minded. He's been exempted from the military because of bad eyesight, and thus dedicates himself to serving the kids as a playground director during a brutally hot summer.

The novel is heartbreaking not only because of the subject matter and the horror of the polio threat, and the numbers of people who died but because of the choices Bucky makes and their consequences.

I've checked out the other titles in this group by Roth and can't wait to read them. Life-enriching stuff.