Goyhood

A Novel

De: Reuven Fenton

Narrado por: Mike Lenz

Reuven Fenton's novel Goyhood is a brilliant debut about a devoutly Orthodox Jewish man who discovers in middle age that he's not, in fact, Jewish, and embarks on a remarkable road trip to come to grips with his fate.

When Mayer (nee Marty) Belkin fled small-town Georgia for Brooklyn nearly thirty years ago, he thought he'd left his wasted youth behind. Now he's a Talmud scholar married into one of the greatest rabbinical families in the world.

But his mother's untimely death brings a shocking revelation: Mayer and his ne'er-do-well twin brother David aren't, in fact, Jewish. Traumatized and spiritually bereft, Mayer's only recourse is to convert to Judaism. But the earliest date he can get is a week from now. What are two estranged brothers to do in the interim?

So begins the Belkins' Rumspringa through America's Deep South with Mom's ashes in tow, plus two tagalongs: an insightful Instagram influencer named Charlayne Valentine and Popeye, a one-eyed dog. As the crew gets tangled up in a series of increasingly surreal adventures, Mayer grapples with a God who betrayed him and an emotionally withdrawn wife in Brooklyn who has yet to learn her husband is a counterfeit Jew.

©2024 Reuven Fenton (P)2024 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Brotherly Love

Appreciated the interplay between the brothers and their interplay between the other characters in the book.

An Epic unexpected journey

I really loved this book! It was pure entertainment for me. Some plot points seemed like a stretch but they made for a fun ride and an unexpected ending. I’m not sure which character most embodies me: Mayer (Marty), David, or Mom. Maybe all three.

Very good, nicely tied up story

I just finished listening to "Goyhood," and I really enjoyed it. The writing is well done and the story is compelling. All of the characters are likable and the way Reuven Fenton subtly left information for the reader to interpret was genius. I love it when the author gives the reader credit for being able to understand subtleties.

My only critique is that, while I enjoy the narrator, he should learn to pronounce the Hebrew, Yiddish, and generally Jewish terms better. Some were fine but others left me cringing.

Despite this critique, I strongly recommend it.

Good read…awful listen

The actor reading the well written story absolutely butchered all Hebrew and Yiddish phrases - I enjoyed the story but almost couldn’t finish because listening was so difficult

The commonality of being Jewish

I liked everything about this story he is a great detailed storyteller and a great writer

Boring, predictable, with terrible storytelling

I don’t understand the acclaim for this book. The writing is stilted, choppy, and dull. The characters are shallow. There are moments where the author clearly wanted to evoke intense emotion, but I did not care enough about the character or the circumstances to oblige. If you’re looking for a book with Jewish themes where a character goes on a journey of self-discovery, read The Golem of Brooklyn instead.