When their mother dies, estranged twins David and Mayer learn that they’re not actually Jewish as they’d been brought up to believe. Worse, their mother’s grandfather was a Nazi.

The revelation isn’t a huge deal to David, who has lived a fairly secular life, but Mayer has dedicated his entire adult life to studying the Torah. A devout Orthodox Jew for decades, Mayer must come to terms with the revelation about his family’s past, and figure out how to break the news to his equally devout wife, Sarah, who is also the daughter of a very well-respected rabbi.

David suggests a road trip back to Mayer’s home in New York, and since Mayer doesn’t have enough money to pay for a flight home for himself, he is forced to agree. What follows is a light-hearted, sometimes absurd, but always heartwarming road trip novel, as the brothers come to terms with their family history and their long-ruptured relationship with each other.

I really enjoyed this novel. Both David and Marty respond to their non-Jewishness in different ways, but at both their cores is a deeply-rooted desire to figure out who they are exactly, and where they may belong. David’s desire to become better friends with his younger twin is equally obvious; Marty’s a bit too stuck on adhering to strict rules of morality and behaviour to be easily open to friendship with his more free-spirited brother, but it’s good to see him slowly emerging from his shell.

The story is populated with entertaining side characters: Charlayne the social media influencer on a quest of her own, and Popeye the rather mangy stray (read: abandoned) dog whom David convinces Mayer to let him take along. Each has their own role to play in the larger story, but for me, the story is strongest when it focuses on the relationship between the brothers. The story David tells of Marty standing up to a bully when they were younger was so full of brotherly pride that it made my heart burst to hear it. And the moment where David confesses his desire to convert to Judaism, only for Marty to unequivocally shut him down, is heart-breaking.

I’m not Jewish myself, but I imagine that all the little details about the nuances of different approaches to Judaism will resonate even more meaningfully for Jewish readers. As for me, I enjoyed learning about these nuances, such as: the restrictions around gentiles (non-Jewish people) participating in Jewish traditions; the term “Noahide,” which refers to gentiles who abide by seven laws (I looked them up, and it was interesting to me as a Catholic to see where they overlapped and differed with the ten commandments I knew); and processes around Jewish conversion and divorce.

I also really enjoyed this novel’s exploration of questions of identity, and what it’s like to have to redefine yourself after learning that the most essential aspects of yourself aren’t actually true. I also really liked the way the novel explores questions of faith and faith-based identities, and all the different ways one may choose to have a relationship with their god of choice.

Overall, this is a good book, and a fairly lighthearted romp, despite tackling some tough topics.

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Thank you to the author for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.