Book Review: “Goyhood” by Reuven Fenton
The Goy Inside the (Jewish) Man
Hold on to your yarmulkes! Reuven Fenton’s Goyhood is part of a series of books published recently by different authors that have combined the road trip genre with explorations of the Jewish faith. First came The Men Can’t Be Saved by Ben Purkert, which saw a young man travel to be close to a girl he has designs on, befriending an Orthodox rabbi en route. Then came The Golem of Brooklyn by Adam Mansbach, saw a young New York man take off for western Kentucky in pursuit of a giant Golem he had created. Now comes Goyhood, which forms a trifecta with the two previously mentioned books. Goyhood is about two brothers — Mayer and David — who find out they’re Jewish as young boys. Mayer (née Marty) leaves home shortly thereafter to become an Orthodox Jewish student in New York City while David would go on to have a successful e-cigarette business after many failed attempts at cashing in on whatever craze may be out there. However, when their mother dies and both men travel back to their childhood home for the funeral, they find out that their mother wasn’t Jewish after all (in fact, her father was a Nazi) and both men find themselves on a road trip in a 1969 Dodge Charger across the Deep South looking for a way out of their predicament. Along the way, they pick up a dog as a traveling companion and meet a Black woman named Charlayne whom Mayer may or may not be falling for. There is also an incident at a fireworks store that nearly blinds Mayer. In the end, the brothers wind up bonding closer together as they determine a way for Mayer to truly become Jewish.
Goyhood is more than a book that is about Orthodox Jewish people and what it means to be strictly observant of the faith. It’s a book about brotherhood and family, and the things that make non-strangers lives tick together. While some of the promotional copy compares Goyhood to the zaniness of the Marx Brothers, it is less cartoonish than the Marxes and is closer in spirit to The Odd Couple. David is a dope-smoking, freewheeling spirit while Mayer is more reserved and dutifully obedient to his spiritual side. He is also committed to his wife, though his brother puts him in the path of temptation to challenge and shake his hard-fast faith and marriage — such as detouring to New Orleans during Mardi Gras, where Mayur winds up getting an eyeful on the city streets. (Which later turns into Mayer nearly losing an eye possibly as a direct punishment for his inhibitions.) What’s remarkable about Goyhood is that it shares a similar tone to that of Seinfeld – there’s a touch of Larry David in the humor of this book. In addition, it also shares a similar sense of humor to the two books previously mentioned in this review. If I didn’t know any better, I would say that Fenton had fused his mind to both Purkert’s and Mansbach’s to come up with a tale that was reminiscent of their books, but additionally completely original in approach, too.
I did have questions, though, when it came to incidents in Goyhood. (This may be just me missing something as I was reading, but it’s worth bringing up in case it’s not.) We’re shown early on that David is wealthy enough to afford a car with a chauffeur that has military grade A/C, but for some reason that I must have overlooked, David and Mayer wind up renting that aforementioned Charger to drive throughout the southeastern United States. So, there seems to be the occasional plot hole that crops up in the pages of this novel. However, it is enjoyable despite the deficiencies. It’s a very Jewish book — more so than the previous two books mentioned in this review as it deals with the more Orthodox side of the Jewish faith. As a Christian, I’m sure that some of this went over my head, but the use of frequent Hebrew and religious concepts gives the book a characteristic flavor. In the end, Goyhood is a terrific blend of the sacred and the secular, as personified separately in each brother, and may make you smile from time to time with its trenchant humor. (My favorite bit in the book is the traffic stop featuring a sarcastic cop.)
Finally, I can say that you should go out and read Goyhoodand support this author because, as it would turn out, the author reached out to me to review this book and seems like a nice enough fellow. I know that while you-know-what-holes can create works of great art, I don’t know about you, but I’d rather support artists who have more of a positive temperament than not. In any event, I told Fenton that the review might be delayed due to a looming death in the family, and I was told to put Goyhood out of my mind and reach out and spend time with the dying individual. While I’m physically distanced from the individual in question, I did write an email to them upon receiving Fenton’s advice. Thus, the guy has his priorities in the right place, and I appreciate his patience with me. In any event, my recommendation is to turn Goyhood into a sort of trilogy read. It can be read in tandem with The Men Can’t Be Saved and The Golem of Brooklyn, as much as it can be enjoyed on its own. Whether or not you read all three books is up to you, but one thing is for sure: Goyhood, by itself, is a wild and turbulent ride through some sardonic wit, and you’re bound to like it regardless of your faith.
Reuven Fenton’s Goyhood will be published by Central Avenue Publishing on May 28, 2024.
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