THE DYING ANIMAL

Fans of Philip Roth are familiar with the alter egos he has created in his fiction, and are equal parts riveted and disturbed by the misogyny and intellectual equivocation those characters display. Where does Roth end and a character begin? In this short novel the character David Kepesh makes his third appearance. As he reflects on being 70, a past relationship with a 24-year-old woman, and mortality, we learn about his preoccupation with death throughout their relationship and how he is affected when she reappears years later with a life-threatening illness. Roth's pondering on matters of sexuality and mortality aren't for everyone--and as an examination of lust, the story is unsparing. Tom Stechschulte's narration is spot-on; his voice drips with pleasure, and he catches Kepesh's musings perfectly. M.W.F.T. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2008]