The Prague Orgy

This slim volume, set in Soviet- occupied Prague of the '70s, uses obscenity and paranoia to make a point about anti-Semitism, or obscenity and anti-Semitism to make a point about totalitarianism. It is an epilogue to Roth's Nathan Zuckerman trilogy, and whilethe book has its admirers, it may require familiarity with the whole opus to have its effect. Unless the reader knows he has an appetite for Roth in his least hilarious mode, this certainly isn't the place to start. (This is no Portnoy's Complaint.) George Guidall's reading is game and reliable as always, but the fact that Recorded Books refers to Zuckerman as "David" throughout the jacket copy may be some indication of a mixed feeling about the project. If true, this reviewer shares it. B.G. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine