Portnoy's Complaint

And the reading continues!  I might have mentioned it before but my resolution this year is to get through an embarrassingly large stack of books that have piled up over the (literally) years - of which this book is a prime example.  An old college friend of mine bought me this book (I can't even remember when) insisting that it would be right up my alley.  Boy was he right.
It's amazing to me how this feels so relevant now (and maybe always).  On one hand this is a disturbingly accurate portrayal into the depravities of (most) men's minds.  I can only imagine how it was received when it first hit the book stands in the '60s.  I can't speak for the Jewish experience (obviously) but I don't think it took away from the book at all.  It didn't make me feel less embarrassingly connected to the main character at all.  It's hard for me to get to the gist of what this book was about - but I'll try...
Taking place over one (or several) sessions with his therapist, Alexander Portnoy gets extremely personal about his feelings on relationships and sexuality.  The entire thing plays out not unlike a Lenny Bruce monologue.  It's vicious, unapologetically sexual, and just flat out good.  If I have a criticism of the book it's that the women characters play out a little bit like male fantasy to some extent - however I can forgive that under the guise that this is a book that's completely from the male characters point of view, and that he's probably exaggerating quite a bit.
This is not a book for the prudish.  I've tried to track down the film they made of it, but it appears to be a lost 'cause.  Alas.  And now I wonder who has the rights....
So if you're looking for a book that's both a guilty pleasure as well as a charming and thoughtful look into the male mind, this is for you.  Please don't think me a pervert for loving this as I do...
Portnoy's Complaint   Philip Roth: Novels 1967-1972: When She Was Good / Portnoy's Complaint / Our Gang / The Breast (Library of America)