The Counterlife | Characters
The novel's principal character is Nathan Zuckerman, an accomplished novelist, famous — or infamous — for his fourth novel, Carnovsky (which bears close comparison to Roth's Portnoy's Complaint). Nathan becomes his brother's confidant when, after a long estrangement as the result of Carnovsky and its treatment of their family, Henry feels he must talk with someone about his predicament. His heart ailment is being treated medically with a beta-blocker, which unfortunately also causes impotence and therefore seriously interferes with his sex life. Although he...
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