Chamäleon: Mit Der menschliche Makel krönte Roth eine Reihe von Romanen, die er in den Jahren zuvor geschrieben hatte, und bereicherte sein Kaleidoskop menschlicher Schicksale um Coleman Silk, dessen unbedachte rassistische Äußerung vor dem Hintergrund eigener verheimlichter afroamerikanischer Wurzeln an Zynismus kaum zu überbieten ist. Wie ist eine Gesellschaft beschaffen, daß einer aus ihrer Mitte sich selbst verleugnet, nur weil er vom Rand weg will, die Ausgrenzung nicht erträgt, die eigene Familie versteckt, nur weil seine Hautfarbe heller ist, so daß er als Weißer durchgeht.

Coleman begehrt gegen sein Schicksal auf, so kann man das sehen, er schlägt anderen Menschen Wunden, lügt, betrügt, um sein eigenes Leben zu forcieren, so kann man das auch sehen. Philip Roth Kunst besteht darin, daß er nicht abwägt, daß er Colemans Leben als etwas beschreibt, in dem das eine nicht ohne das andere möglich ist. Ein Trickser, ein Wandelbarer, ein Eingesperrter.

Am Ende schließt sich der Kreis. Seine späte Liebe zu Faunia findet er wieder am Rand statt, mißbilligt von den eigenen Kindern. Im Amerika des Bill Clintons, wo die Saubermänner sich der Medien bedienen, um Scharfrichter zu spielen, indem sie die Moral vor sich hertragen, erzählt Roth von einer zufälligen Selbsthinrichtung. Dem perfekten Mr. Coleman unterläuft ein Lapsus, über den er stürzt. Am Ende zahlt jeder den Preis, für das bißchen Leben, daß er zu nehmen gewagt hat.

I initially had a great deal of trouble getting into the flow of this book, due to Roth's jumps between time and location, his lengthy paragraphs (some of which extend for 5 pages) and the numerous changes in direction the novel took. In the end, however, this is what sealed The Human Stainas a great story. It took me in places I did not expect to go while elaborating on characters I assumed would remain in the background.

In particular, I loved Roth's beautiful characterisation of Delphine Roux, a hideous woman who I found myself wanting to read more and more about. To me, this illustrates the skill of a great writer, able to keep you turning the pages despite describing a personality so revolting. Still, though, you can't help but feel for this character in turmoil. The passages that concerned Vietnam veteran Lester Farley also left me amazed, brilliantly bringing the horrific ramifications of war to reality.

I also have to commend Roth's ability to create conflictions within the reader. Many times I found my self cringing at the words, and yet nodding my head simultaneously, hating what was happening and yet understanding why it was necessary.

While on the surface, Roth raises questions about identity, humanity and relationships, there are so many ideas jammed into this novel, every passage bursting with insights.

Once I settled with the fact that this book was not going to go where I wanted, I sat back and relaxed as Philip Roth took me on a marvelous ride. ( )

As usual, characters drawn in great detail with all their warts. That's the point here-human stains. While I don't think this rises to the genius of "American Pastoral", I highly recommend it. A tad too preachy in spots. ( )

* NO SPOILERS WERE USED IN THE WRITING OF THIS REVIEW! *

Throughout most of this novel I was convinced that it's a true story, despite knowing full well that it isn't; written from the POV of an objective observer, "The Human Stain" often reads like investigative reporting despite being a work of fiction. Roth examines the characters' backgrounds, actions and motives in such intellectual detail that the reader may sometimes feel emotionally distanced from them. However, Roth's deep insights into human folly and frailty make up for his (at times) cerebral writing.

Zuckerman, the narrator, is an elderly reclusive writer who is not directly involved in any of the unfolding racial and sexual dramas. His objectivity serves to shed light on the other characters' impassioned actions.The narrator's "reporter" POV allows Roth to fairly present all sides of the story, which is where "The Human Stain" becomes fascinating.

As in life there are no true heroes or villains in this book, rather a cast of characters who have each committed both heroic and villainous acts. The disgraced professor, his uneducated mistress, her vengeful war veteran ex-husband, and the scheming female academic are all handled delicately by Roth, keeping his characters from becoming cliches. Instead, he shows us both sides of each coin.

Roth's use of journalistic techniques initially distanced me from his fiction - I couldn't quite "get into" the characters' lives because they were so objectively introduced. However, my ambivalent impression dissipated by the middle of the book, and by the end I wished it were longer. There is so much food for thought, so many layers of truth to peel away (not to mention the evocative, brilliant writing) that I will definitely be revisiting "The Human Stain." ( )

http://thebookwormslibrary.com/?p=205... ( )