Book Notes: The Ghost Writer by Philip Roth

There are some uncanny similarities between the character Lonof in Philip Roth’s Ghost Writer and me. Of course, his characters are largely based on his own life, so that is to say there are some eerie similarities between Roth and me. That is why I think he resonates so strongly with me. Of course, I don’t presume to have his talent or intellect, but there are similarities, nonetheless. Here are a few.

1. “I crossed the river to New Jersey three days a week.”  I, too, crossed the river to New Jersey every week to go to work in South Jersey when I lived in Philadelphia.
2. “At eight each morning, our crew was driven to some New Jersey mill town to sell magazine subscriptions door to door.” I did the same thing, but in Kentucky.
3. “The problem with Santa Claus.” I had a similar experience. I suppose many of us did, but it is the first time I saw it described in a novel.
4. “…Berkshires…Tanglewood.” I lived in the Berkshires when I was 15, and I have been to Tanglewood many times.
5. “I turn sentences around. That is my life.” Me too.
6. “I always read books with pen in hand…my attention is not n what’s in front of me.” I always read with a pencil.
7. “I have the evening’s reading still ahead of me. Without my reading, I am not myself.” Neither am I.