‘Patrimony’ by Philip Roth

Genre: Memoir

I will make a confession: I’m not usually one for non-fiction, especially autobiographies. But after taking a ‘Writing Mourning’ module in my second year of uni, I found the autobiographies of those working their way through their grief to be deeply moving, while also being eye-opening to my own grief.

Philip Roth’s ‘Patrimony’ is the heart-breaking story of Roth’s father’s slow decline after discovering he has a brain tumor. What I found very interesting was the quasi-biographical story-telling Roth adopts, telling his side of the story, while also telling his father’s stories and memories. Roth wrote ‘Patrimony’ as an ode to his father and his memory, for if there is no one to tell your stories who will remember you. I thought this observation was fascinating, for if you do not tell your stories and memories to people and they, in turn, do not listen and take an interest, then who, and what will continue your legacy.

As well as the novel’s philosophical insights on memory and death, the true story of Roth’s fathers’ battle in the face of death, the recurring grief still felt at the loss of Roth’s mother, as well as the struggles of getting older and losing independence, and the inner-battles of a strained father-son relation make for a sad yet continuous read. Everyone has experienced death and loss in some form or another, but Roth’s novel presents the harsh reality of death and brings up unconventional topics such as inheritance and guilt. This aspect of death is rarely talked about, let alone written about in a commemorating autobiographical novel, yet it was almost refreshing to read a more realistic story of death and grief.

Despite its truthful depiction of death, ‘Patrimony’ still has moments of sweetness and comedy, so if you want a good cry and something that is unapologetically true to life, I would recommend this autobiography.

Rating: * * * *