Goodbye, Columbus
Philip Roth · 1933–2018 · USA
Why it matters
A working-class Newark clerk falls for a wealthy Radcliffe girl one summer, class resentment curdling a promising romance, alongside five sharp stories of assimilating American Jewish life. Roth's National Book Award-winning debut announced a major satirist at twenty-six.
At a glance
satireshort story collectionpsychological novel
Difficulty 4/10medium pace298 pagesSharp, accessible comic prose makes this Roth's most immediately readable early work.
Where to go next
Philip Roth · 1969Portnoy's ComplaintLvl 5Fast paced
Philip Roth · 1995Sabbath's TheaterLvl 6Medium pace
Philip Roth · 1997American PastoralLvl 6Slow burn
Saul Bellow · 1964HerzogLvl 7Slow burn
Joshua Cohen · 2021The Netanyahus: An Account of a Minor and Ultimately Even Negligible Episode in the History of a Very Famous FamilyLvl 6Medium pace
Bernard Malamud · 1957The AssistantLvl 5Slow burn