LJ Ross Book Club: A Modern Day Classic for November
Northumberland-born LJ Ross is the bestselling author of the DCI Ryan murder mystery series. Each month, she shares an exclusive Book Club pick with Living North readers
The Human Stain, Philip Roth
This month’s LJ Ross Book Club recommendation is a modern-day classic. The Human Stain is set in 1998, when the impeachment of a president brings forth a frenzy of prurience in small-town America – nowhere more so than in a small, New England town, where distinguished professor Coleman Silk is forced to retire when his colleagues allege he is a racist. The charge is baseless and his persecution relentless, but the truth about Coleman would shock even his most ardent accuser. He’s kept a secret for fifty years – but can his past remain buried?
LJ’s Thoughts:
‘I’m not a fan of hyperbole, in general, but I would be remiss if I didn’t say that, in my opinion, this is one of the finest books written in modern times. Philip Roth is, rightly, a Pulitzer prize-winning author and, in the telling of this story, it isn’t difficult to see why. It’s full of beautiful passages that demand to be read more than once, and above all else it’s clever, observational, and so full of emotion and rage that the pages seem to hum with it. This is a book that can be read at any time of the year, but is certainly worth making time for—a fantastic read.’
