Portnoy's Complaint
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Portnoy's Complaint
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The Therapy Male Bible

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Oct 16, 2025

My first Roth and, I’m sure, not my last. A fun Freudian phallodrama that moves at a breathless neurasthenic clip. Roth holds outsiderness and othership under a jeweler’s loupe and twirls them against the light. He makes himself a Christ figure and begs us to consider if we aren’t doomed to do the same when we engage in psychotherapy. When a confession is given so freely we of course have to wonder whether the penitent truly feels bad or if they’re just enjoying some catharsis of the chaise lounge variety.

LJ+1
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yarbDonator badge8 months ago

*chaise longue. But I agree, this was my first and so far only Roth and I don’t have a good excuse.

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specialberryalpha user badge8 months ago

I've not read this one because I thought Roths's other work was so disgusting. Seeing the title 'The Therapy Male Bible' next to the name PHILIP ROTH made me shiver. It should be illegal for the vile pornography in that man's mind to be put out into the world.