Goyhood

Publication date 5/28/24

CW: An offensive Yiddish word for Black person is used twice in this novel. The character who says the word is not a sympathetic one, and the author goes out of his way to show that the two MCs are not racist. The novel's most important secondary character is a Black woman. But even with all of those modifiers, that word left a lingering bad taste in my mouth.

From the blurb, I was expecting an “estranged twin brothers take a road trip, hijinks and reconciliation follow” plot, and Goyhood does offer several set pieces with humorous elements. The overarching mood however is serious, as Mayer (formerly Martin) wrestles with his commitment to Orthodox Judaism and his long-held belief that studying Jewish texts to the exclusion of everything else is the most exalted way to live. The so-called comic relief comes from the contrast with Meyer's twin David, who has wasted his life on drugs, women, and shady business deals that never paid off. For a good part of the book, the voice of reason is Charlayne, a beautiful Goldman Sachs financial analyst turned Instagram brand ambassador and would-be Appalachian Trail hiker. I guess if you're a white Jewish author writing a token Black character, you might as well make her perfect.

The Orthodox Jewish laws and customs are not always explained well, so I don't think this book will appeal to non-Jewish readers. It barely appealed to me before the offensive language took me out of the story for good.

ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for objective review.