Michael
Goyhood is the story of Marty (later Mayer) and David twin brothers from a small town in Georgia. They find out that they are Jewish when they are 12. Marty leaves for Brooklyn and becomes a scholar of the Talmud and has married into a famous (ultra-Orthodox) rabbinical family. His brother becomes something of a ne’er-do-well, until one of his insane investments pays off and he becomes very, very rich. And then their mother dies back in Georgia, and the brothers find out that she lied, and they are not Jewish after-all. Marty decides that he must convert to Judaism if he wants to keep his life as it is and his wife (technically they are no longer married). So begins a madcap road trip from small town Georgia to Brooklyn with Marty, David, and two others they acquire on the way: Charlayne, an influencer and Popeye, a one-eyed dog.
The novel delas with themes of identity, the nature of God, love, forgiveness, and family. It does so in ways alternately serious and funny. The writing style is breezy and easy to read, and I could tell the author is a journalist. However, something in Goyhood didn’t gel for me. It was fun to read, but something was off. I couldn’t help rolling my eyes at some of the episodes, and I got very impatient with both Marty and David at times. I wanted to tell both of them to grow up. In addition, some of the Talmudic references went over my head and I found that I didn’t care about the others.
I also wanted to know more about Sarah, Marty’s wife. She is the only one I felt sorry for, the only character I really cared about.
All-in-all, for me this was a flawed, but entertaining and feel-good novel. I’m glad I read it.
Goyhood is the story of Marty (later Mayer) and David twin brothers from a small town in Georgia. They find out that they are Jewish when they are 12. Marty leaves for Brooklyn and becomes a scholar of the Talmud and has married into a famous (ultra-Orthodox) rabbinical family. His brother becomes something of a ne’er-do-well, until one of his insane investments pays off and he becomes very, very rich. And then their mother dies back in Georgia, and the brothers find out that she lied, and they are not Jewish after-all. Marty decides that he must convert to Judaism if he wants to keep his life as it is and his wife (technically they are no longer married). So begins a madcap road trip from small town Georgia to Brooklyn with Marty, David, and two others they acquire on the way: Charlayne, an influencer and Popeye, a one-eyed dog.
The novel delas with themes of identity, the nature of God, love, forgiveness, and family. It does so in ways alternately serious and funny. The writing style is breezy and easy to read, and I could tell the author is a journalist. However, something in Goyhood didn’t gel for me. It was fun to read, but something was off. I couldn’t help rolling my eyes at some of the episodes, and I got very impatient with both Marty and David at times. I wanted to tell both of them to grow up. In addition, some of the Talmudic references went over my head and I found that I didn’t care about the others.
I also wanted to know more about Sarah, Marty’s wife. She is the only one I felt sorry for, the only character I really cared about.
All-in-all, for me this was a flawed, but entertaining and feel-good novel. I’m glad I read it.