The Counterlife

The Counterlife (1986) is a novel by the American author Philip Roth. It is the fourth full novel to feature the fictional novelist Nathan Zuckerman. However, when The Counterlife was published, Zuckerman had most recently appeared in a novella called The Prague Orgy, the epilogue to Zuckerman Bound.

Plot summary

The novel opens with what appears to be an entry in Zuckerman's journal about his younger brother Henry. Henry is a forty year old dentist with a wife and kids. He has opted for the safety of a traditional profession and family life in contrast to Nathan, the famous writer with whom Henry clashes throughout the Zuckerman novels. Henry has been diagnosed with advanced obstructive arterial disease. His medical prognosis leaves him with two options. He can either go on medication that will halt the progress of the blockage and save his life but leave him sexually impotent or he can opt for radical bypass surgery in a bid to preserve sexual function. His doctors urge Henry to accept the medication and to try to face life without sex. His decision is complicated by the prospect of ending an extramarital affair with an assistant named Wendy. Though the Zuckerman brothers have been feuding in the years since their parents passed away, Henry seeks reconciliation with Nathan and asks his advice.