Two-for-One Review: “The Answer is Always Yes” and “Indignation”

October 23, 2008 at 3:49 pm | Posted in Fiction, Two-for-One Review | 1 Comment

At first glance, The Answer is Always Yes by Monica Ferrell and Indignation by Philip Roth would seem to have nothing in common.  It didn’t even occur to me until I was about halfway through Indignation, but the more I thought about it, the more it clicked.  Both books are about a smart college boy from New York and his struggle to fit in with campus life.  Both books have a prominent female love interest and a gay character.  While the subject is similar, the treatment is quite different.  Ferrell’s hefty debut is more than twice the size of literary lion Roth’s slender contribution.  The settings are nearly 50 years apart, with atmospheres almost diametrically opposed.  Roth’s book seems to pick up where Ferrell’s story leaves off, though I’ll leave the reason why a mystery so you can enjoy both.

The Answer is Always Yes concerns a young guy who is desperate to climb out of geekdom and become popular.  It’s painful and poignant, and rich with all the subtle details of social cues and fashion faux pas.  Ferrell paints a realistic picture of 1990s club life.  There were elements of the narration that I found slightly gimmicky, but they did help resolve some issues of viewpoint that would have been hard to handle in a different way.  I enjoyed Ferrell’s voice and became involved in the story.  I look forward to reading her next effort.

Indignation concerns another young guy who, on the contrary, could hardly care less about popularity.  He has entirely other issues on his mind.  It’s a lightning-fast read, a novella really, and there’s a huge surprise about fifty pages in.  I loved this book.  The only other Roth novel I have read is Portnoy’s Complaint, which was hysterically funny.  Indignation has its funny moments, but it’s more serious and focused, and less neurotic, than the earlier work.  I found that it raised some fascinating philosophical questions.  Having read two books written by the same author nearly 40 years apart, I’m intrigued to go back and read more, especially considering he’s won two Pulitzers and three National Book Awards.

Indignation and The Answer is Always Yes – two compelling, tragic, enjoyable reads.