Nemesis by Philip Roth

"... This is the first Philip Roth book I have read, having seen the BBC2's 'Review Show' cover this in typical highbrow fashion. The tale is set during WWII, within Newark, New Jersey. The central plot is an outbreak of Polio that affects the community, especially the children who are within the protagonists care (a Summer camp sports instructor). The unknown (at the time) enemy, or indeed 'nemesis', is at first glance the Polio outbreak itself. Roth uses simple interactions between characters brilliantly, particularly between the many children that feature in the story. Nothing really complex arises in the book, but that is what makes it so good. I find it hard to explain without resorting to ethereal pseudo-intellectualisations; but, in straightforward language, Roth tells a richly evocative story - one which during many junctures, I could feel the balmy NJ Summer heat, sense the fear of the Newark residents, feel the wistful stolen nights of the protagonists Summer Camp escapades with his girlfriend, and feel genuine sadness during the latter part of the book. The Polio threat remains constant to all-comers and keeps the suspense dynamic throughout the story. A dark story with intriguing characters, I would definitely recommend this book....."

세계 2차 대전이 한창이던 시기에 Newark에서 Polio가 발생하고 많은 아이들이 불구가 되기도 하고 어린 나이에 죽음을 맞이하게 된다. 두려움을 대하는 사람들의 모습, 삶의 좌절과 이별 그리고 삶의 의미를 찾고자 하는 자의 이야기들이 차분한 어조로 묘사되고 있다. 어두운 이야기가 기본을 형성하는 작품이지만 계속 읽게 만드는 매력이 있다. 작가의 명성만 생각하면 좀 어렵지 않을까 생각하기 쉽지만 의외로 문장 구조는 무난한 편이다. 다만 원서 경험이 적은 독자들은 사전의 도움을 받아야 하는 단어들을 만날 수도 있다.  다음의 문장들은 본문에서 발췌했다 "... you mustn't be eaten up with worry and you mustn't be eaten up with fear ....Rashly, he had yielded to fear, and under the spell of fear he had betrayed his boys and betrayed himself, when all he'd had to do was stay where ...... It isn't a matter of doing -- it's a matter of being there ..... Sometimes you're lucky and sometimes you're not. Any biography is chance, and, beginning at conception, chance - the tyranny of contingency - is everything. Chnace is what I believed Mr. Cantor meant when he was decrying what he called God...."