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Abomination
A compelling and compassionate debut about friendship, faith, family and identity.
'He who turns his ear away from hearing the Torah – even his prayer is an abomination.’ Proverbs 28:9
Melbourne 1999: Ezra and Yonatan are best friends whose lives are forever changed when their school, the ultra-Orthodox Jewish Yahel Academy, is rocked by a scandal and they are thrown onto two divergent paths. Twenty years later, the lives of the two men are very different: Ezra identifies as secular and atheist, while Yonatan has been ordained as a rabbi and even teaches at the academy. By chance they are reunited, and the events of their past and present collide with devastating consequences.
Abomination lays bare the clash between religious and secular worlds in contemporary Australia and provides a revealing glimpse into a closed community. With great tenderness and insight debut author Ashley Goldberg tells the story of an enduring and evolving friendship as Yonatan and Ezra struggle to come to terms with the choices they have made, search for meaning, and forge their own identities. This is a beautifully observed, moving story from an exciting young writer.
'He who turns his ear away from hearing the Torah – even his prayer is an abomination.’ Proverbs 28:9
Melbourne 1999: Ezra and Yonatan are best friends whose lives are forever changed when their school, the ultra-Orthodox Jewish Yahel Academy, is rocked by a scandal and they are thrown onto two divergent paths. Twenty years later, the lives of the two men are very different: Ezra identifies as secular and atheist, while Yonatan has been ordained as a rabbi and even teaches at the academy. By chance they are reunited, and the events of their past and present collide with devastating consequences.
Abomination lays bare the clash between religious and secular worlds in contemporary Australia and provides a revealing glimpse into a closed community. With great tenderness and insight debut author Ashley Goldberg tells the story of an enduring and evolving friendship as Yonatan and Ezra struggle to come to terms with the choices they have made, search for meaning, and forge their own identities. This is a beautifully observed, moving story from an exciting young writer.
280 pages, Paperback
Published May 3, 2022
17 people are currently reading
698 people want to read
About the author
Ashley Goldberg
8 books34 followersAshley Goldberg is an Australian writer based in Melbourne. His fiction has appeared in New Australian Fiction 2021, Meanjin, Chiron Review, The Honest Ulsterman and Award Winning Australian Writing among other publications. Ashley has an MA in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University and a Graduate Diploma of Professional Writing from Canberra University. His work has been shortlisted, longlisted, and anthologized in numerous competitions worldwide, including the 2017/18 Galley Beggar Press Short Story Prize and the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. In 2019, Ashley was a fellow at the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers’ Centre and a finalist for the Tasmanian Writers’ Prize. Abomination was shortlisted for the 2020 Kill Your Darlings Unpublished Manuscript Award and won the Debut Fiction Prize at the 2023 National Jewish Book Awards (USA).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
May 28, 2022
It’s a strangely stressful read, for its intensity and Goldberg’s deft sidestepping of the beats you might expect a story like this to hit. Goldberg doesn’t rely on shock-value or voyeurism, making this a remarkably deep story about crises of faith and the ripple effects of secrets and scandal. It’s important not to try to “binge” Abomination – this is a book that needs to be sipped like fine wine, not chugged like cheap beer.
My full review of Abomination is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins.
My full review of Abomination is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins.
July 30, 2022
I was drawn to this book by a morbid fascination of fundamentalist religious communities, in this case ultra-Orthodox Jews. We get some glimpses into that world but the main storyline I found shallow and uninteresting with an ending that was no ending at all.
The glimpses of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community were equal parts interesting and horrifying, but other than that there wasn't anything going on here. The extradition and trial of an ultra-Orthodox school teacher and pedophile was thrown in as click-bait (you got me) but it was superficially explored and nothing new was presented.
The majority of the story is about Ezra and Yonathan, friends from childhood who attended an ultra-Orthodox school when Rabbi Chester the Molester was perpetrating his crime, although neither of them was a victim. They're now in their early 30's, Ezra has become an atheist and Yonathan a Rabbi. They struggle with their faith, their relationships, and then they sort stuff out. What about this am I supposed to care about?
The glimpses of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community were equal parts interesting and horrifying, but other than that there wasn't anything going on here. The extradition and trial of an ultra-Orthodox school teacher and pedophile was thrown in as click-bait (you got me) but it was superficially explored and nothing new was presented.
The majority of the story is about Ezra and Yonathan, friends from childhood who attended an ultra-Orthodox school when Rabbi Chester the Molester was perpetrating his crime, although neither of them was a victim. They're now in their early 30's, Ezra has become an atheist and Yonathan a Rabbi. They struggle with their faith, their relationships, and then they sort stuff out. What about this am I supposed to care about?
April 2, 2022
I really loved this book which tells the story of Ezra and Yonatan, childhood friends whose lives take different paths until they meet at a rally protesting the lack of justice for survivors of a paedophile rabbi. Ash Goldberg's writing is fresh and emotionally honest. The story unfolds in chapters alternating between the two characters and past and present timelines, maintaining the narrative threads with a fine control. Descriptive detail of the Orthodox Jewish world is rendered with great care - I learned a lot and it's not common knowledge. I laughed aloud when one of the adolescent boys at Yahel Academy asked, 'What's a Pope?'
'Abomination' is a terrific read, complex without ever labouring the point, revelatory in its scope and tender at heart.
'Abomination' is a terrific read, complex without ever labouring the point, revelatory in its scope and tender at heart.
May 10, 2022
Thank you Penguin for sending us a copy to read and review.
A closed community invites intrigue, interest and speculation.
The inner sanctum of which is not inclusive.
The ultra orthodox Jewish world is visible by its clothing, religious adherences and often wealth.
Best friend’s Ezra and Yonatan have their lives changed dramatically when a Rabbi at the exclusive and orthodox Yahel College is accused of molesting younger students.
Forcing them to live lives in stark contrast, both religiously and ideologically.
As adults Ezra is an atheist and lives a secular life.
Yonatan becomes a Rabbi and adheres to the strict social and religious protocols of the conservative faith.
The past is stirred as social media plays it’s part in conjuring up support to have the accused Rabbi brought to justice.
The scars of the event ingrained on many.
The friendship is rekindled as both of these men face demons and triumphs in their own lives.
The life directions each taking revealing a stark contrast as they forge through their individual battles.
A fascinating contemporary story that offered a glimpse into a world that has always intrigued me, did not disappoint.
The dual timeline offered insight and consolidated the journey’s each of the leads had to overcome.
Set in Melbourne it was not hard for my mind to establish images as the story unfolds.
The current Malka Leifer extradition making this story very plausible and relevant.
This I enjoyed immensely.
A closed community invites intrigue, interest and speculation.
The inner sanctum of which is not inclusive.
The ultra orthodox Jewish world is visible by its clothing, religious adherences and often wealth.
Best friend’s Ezra and Yonatan have their lives changed dramatically when a Rabbi at the exclusive and orthodox Yahel College is accused of molesting younger students.
Forcing them to live lives in stark contrast, both religiously and ideologically.
As adults Ezra is an atheist and lives a secular life.
Yonatan becomes a Rabbi and adheres to the strict social and religious protocols of the conservative faith.
The past is stirred as social media plays it’s part in conjuring up support to have the accused Rabbi brought to justice.
The scars of the event ingrained on many.
The friendship is rekindled as both of these men face demons and triumphs in their own lives.
The life directions each taking revealing a stark contrast as they forge through their individual battles.
A fascinating contemporary story that offered a glimpse into a world that has always intrigued me, did not disappoint.
The dual timeline offered insight and consolidated the journey’s each of the leads had to overcome.
Set in Melbourne it was not hard for my mind to establish images as the story unfolds.
The current Malka Leifer extradition making this story very plausible and relevant.
This I enjoyed immensely.
May 17, 2022
What do we want from life? It’s a question each of us must answer for ourselves. Ezra and Yonatan, the two protagonists in Ashley Goldberg’s stunning debut novel, wrestle with morality and their consciences as each man tries to determine what he wants from life and what he needs.
While Ezra is feckless from the outset, Yonatan seems firmly anchored to his ultra-Orthodox community and its traditions. I found Yonatan, the kindly young rabbi, the character for whom I felt the greatest sympathy. When he is ostracized by his community and subsequently suffers a crisis of faith, he has much to lose.
As the novel is set in Melbourne’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, there are Hebrew words sprinkled throughout, used in the context of religious life. I urge readers unfamiliar with Hebrew not to skip over these words and phrases. Learning their meaning will deepen the reader’s understanding of Ezra’s and Yonatan’s circumstances.
Abomination is a very assured debut novel. It’s a beautiful and compassionate exploration of male friendship and of what happens when the foundations of our world are rocked by forces we feel we cannot control.
While Ezra is feckless from the outset, Yonatan seems firmly anchored to his ultra-Orthodox community and its traditions. I found Yonatan, the kindly young rabbi, the character for whom I felt the greatest sympathy. When he is ostracized by his community and subsequently suffers a crisis of faith, he has much to lose.
As the novel is set in Melbourne’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, there are Hebrew words sprinkled throughout, used in the context of religious life. I urge readers unfamiliar with Hebrew not to skip over these words and phrases. Learning their meaning will deepen the reader’s understanding of Ezra’s and Yonatan’s circumstances.
Abomination is a very assured debut novel. It’s a beautiful and compassionate exploration of male friendship and of what happens when the foundations of our world are rocked by forces we feel we cannot control.
February 17, 2023
‘How can I give you advice when there is no ground beneath my feet?’
Melbourne, 1999. Ezra and Yonatan are best friends whose lives are changed when their school, the ultra-Orthodox Jewish Yahel Academy is rocked by a scandal. One of their teachers is accused of sexual assault. Yonatan remains at the school, while Ezra is enrolled elsewhere.
Twenty years later, Ezra and Yonatan are united by the consequences of the same scandal that separated them. The two men are living very different lives: Ezra is a secular atheist, while Yonatan is now a rabbi teaching at the Yahel Academy.
Mr Goldberg explores several challenging themes including faith, family, friendship and identity. Through Yonatan, he takes the reader into the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, where we glimpse the ideals important to the community as well as the challenges of living their ideals as a minority group within the wider world.
At the beginning, it is Ezra who seems uncertain of his direction in life. And yet it is Yonatan, who seems certain of his place initially, who struggles as the past intrudes on the present.
This novel took me into a world of which I know little and invited me to think about how we each find our own way in a world full of rules and contradictions. Will Ezra find peace? Can Yonatan reconcile his beliefs with his reality?
I finished the novel wanting more.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Melbourne, 1999. Ezra and Yonatan are best friends whose lives are changed when their school, the ultra-Orthodox Jewish Yahel Academy is rocked by a scandal. One of their teachers is accused of sexual assault. Yonatan remains at the school, while Ezra is enrolled elsewhere.
Twenty years later, Ezra and Yonatan are united by the consequences of the same scandal that separated them. The two men are living very different lives: Ezra is a secular atheist, while Yonatan is now a rabbi teaching at the Yahel Academy.
Mr Goldberg explores several challenging themes including faith, family, friendship and identity. Through Yonatan, he takes the reader into the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, where we glimpse the ideals important to the community as well as the challenges of living their ideals as a minority group within the wider world.
At the beginning, it is Ezra who seems uncertain of his direction in life. And yet it is Yonatan, who seems certain of his place initially, who struggles as the past intrudes on the present.
This novel took me into a world of which I know little and invited me to think about how we each find our own way in a world full of rules and contradictions. Will Ezra find peace? Can Yonatan reconcile his beliefs with his reality?
I finished the novel wanting more.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
July 16, 2022
A powerful book about friendship and sects. Yonatan and Ezra were well drawn. A bit of a glossary of Jewish words would have helped but otherwise a strong piece of work.
May 10, 2022
Wow, what an insight to male behaviour. A book that every man should read to examine their inner self and every woman should read to understand men.
This book is everything you want in a good novel, insight into a religion followed deeply by their believers. Behaviour of human beings when their beliefs are challenged.
A book that keeps you guessing on what will happen next.
A must read book. A deep book for book clubs to explore, in parts simple but with deep meaning to the reader. A book you will think about often in your daily life.
This book is everything you want in a good novel, insight into a religion followed deeply by their believers. Behaviour of human beings when their beliefs are challenged.
A book that keeps you guessing on what will happen next.
A must read book. A deep book for book clubs to explore, in parts simple but with deep meaning to the reader. A book you will think about often in your daily life.
November 15, 2023
I'm going to do a review of this on YouTube - but read it, it's a little bit excellent.
April 26, 2022
A beautifully written tale that will have you comparing your own growing up story. The juxtaposition of the secular way of life and ultra orthodox makes the novel equal parts relatable and enlightening. I loved being exposed to a culture that I’ve lived side by side for so many years but know so little about.
With two engaging protagonists, you experience all the emotions as they go through their challenging travails, feeling at different times for them, sympathy, concern and anger. But ultimately you see life through their perspective, and the feeling that resonates most, is empathy.
This is a type of book that reminds you why you read books in the first place!
With two engaging protagonists, you experience all the emotions as they go through their challenging travails, feeling at different times for them, sympathy, concern and anger. But ultimately you see life through their perspective, and the feeling that resonates most, is empathy.
This is a type of book that reminds you why you read books in the first place!
May 22, 2022
Excellent debut novel that deals with difficult and complex issues with respect. I struggled to put the book down as I became emotionally involved with the characters who were flawed humans trying to do their best - I was cheering for them and kept reading to find out what happen to them. I was unsure about how the book would end but the author did an excellent job ensuring the ending suited the story which is not always easy to do. Look forward to reading future books from this author.
May 10, 2022
Stellar, thought-provoking novel. It's the best debut I've read in a long time.
February 5, 2023
An interesting, engaging novel about two young Jewish men living in Melbourne, Australia. Ezra and Yonatan attended a Jewish school as boys. A scandal rocked the school when a teacher was accused of being a pedophile. Both Ezra and Yonatan were withdrawn from the school by their parents. It was twenty years later that they came in contact with one another. Yonatan, a rabbi, has been married seven years and his wife was pregnant. Ezra, a government employee, has had a girlfriend for the last two years.
Both Yonatan and Ezra find themselves unhappy with their current lives for different reasons.
At times this book was a tense reading experience. There are a number of dramatic scenes.
An informative novel about the Jewish way of life and the woman’s role in the marriage relationship.
This book was first published in 2022.
Both Yonatan and Ezra find themselves unhappy with their current lives for different reasons.
At times this book was a tense reading experience. There are a number of dramatic scenes.
An informative novel about the Jewish way of life and the woman’s role in the marriage relationship.
This book was first published in 2022.
March 7, 2023
An incredible read, one that I will be talking about for months! As someone who has little knowledge of the Jewish community, I didn’t know what to expect when it was recommended to me. The story feels like a glimpse into an authentic friendship, two people moving apart and together again as time goes past. It doesn’t need to rely on the same dramatised twists and turns modern day stories use to keep you hooked and reading, you’ll keep reading because the story is so fascinating yet familiar. I hope to read more from this author in the future. 5 stars because apparently I can’t give it 6!
May 30, 2022
Ezra and Yonatan grow up in Melbourne during the 1990’s, their lives interweaved through culture and tradition. But when a scandal rocks their Jewish community, the boys are separated when Ezra’s parents remove him from the school that has hid a predator and Yonatan’s family remains committed to their faith.
Twenty years later, these two men could not be more different. Yonatan is now a Rabbi and a well known and respected member of his community; Ezra is faithless and going through the motions of a millennial life. Brought back into each other’s lives when the scandal of their youth is brought back to with force, Ezra and Yonatan each struggle with what is expected of them and to find their way in a world that has already set out a path for them.
What a cracker of a story from Ashley Goldberg. I’ve seen very little mention of ABOMINATION of bookstagram but I highly recommend checking this novel out. There is so much I loved about this story, from the Melbourne setting to the intense description of Jewish faith and community.
The story alternates between past, when the scandal unfolds, and present, where the consequences are still in full force. Chapters narrated between both Ezra and Yonatan gives the reader a contrasting look at how this has affected the lives these men lead.
There are Hebrew words and phrases used throughout the story, and I took the time to research what these meant. This added another layer and I found truly gives a richness to the novel.
ABOMINATION would be classed as contemporary fiction, but I can tell you, it was a stressful read that had the intensity of a thriller – page after page, I needed to know what was happening, where is this going, how will our protagonists fair, what choices will they make? I’m not exaggerating when I say I read this entire book in the space of an evening, and I could have easily read another 100 pages.
A very thought provoking novel that I enjoyed immensely!
Twenty years later, these two men could not be more different. Yonatan is now a Rabbi and a well known and respected member of his community; Ezra is faithless and going through the motions of a millennial life. Brought back into each other’s lives when the scandal of their youth is brought back to with force, Ezra and Yonatan each struggle with what is expected of them and to find their way in a world that has already set out a path for them.
What a cracker of a story from Ashley Goldberg. I’ve seen very little mention of ABOMINATION of bookstagram but I highly recommend checking this novel out. There is so much I loved about this story, from the Melbourne setting to the intense description of Jewish faith and community.
The story alternates between past, when the scandal unfolds, and present, where the consequences are still in full force. Chapters narrated between both Ezra and Yonatan gives the reader a contrasting look at how this has affected the lives these men lead.
There are Hebrew words and phrases used throughout the story, and I took the time to research what these meant. This added another layer and I found truly gives a richness to the novel.
ABOMINATION would be classed as contemporary fiction, but I can tell you, it was a stressful read that had the intensity of a thriller – page after page, I needed to know what was happening, where is this going, how will our protagonists fair, what choices will they make? I’m not exaggerating when I say I read this entire book in the space of an evening, and I could have easily read another 100 pages.
A very thought provoking novel that I enjoyed immensely!
November 28, 2023
What a brilliant emotional roller-coaster of a book. Thought provoking with themes of religion, fitting in, society, sexuality. The stories of both Yonatan & Ezra were well told, well paced & thoroughly rounded. Equally emphasised. No simple clichés here. And it ended perfectly with enough uncertainty around what would happen next. Maybe a little heavy-handed on the Yiddish terminology - at (brief) times it felt more of an educational text than a novel.
April 26, 2022
My review is published in the May edition of goodREADING magazine.
May 12, 2022
A brilliant book that I quite literally could not put down!
June 30, 2022
I became so involved in the stories of Ezra and Yoni that I read it in a day.
August 4, 2022
Excellent book, loved it!!!! Can't wait to see more from this author 🙂
July 25, 2022
I read this whilst I was in Tasmania and I could not get my nose out of it despite being on a family holiday. It’s heart wrenching in all the right ways
July 14, 2022
I love books set in Melbourne, with streets and landmarks I recognise but also ones in areas I've always been curious about. I've long been interested in the Jewish areas of Melbourne, especially the small Orthodox enclave of a few blocks and its insular community, so this did quite well to address some of my questions. But, I didn't really understand the role Ezra played in the narrative and felt disappointed when I'd end a Yonatan chapter and realise one of his was next; his issues and concerns seemed to be those shared by many educated, middle-class, inner-city men whose stories are abundant in literature. It was Yonatan's narrative from within the ultra-Orthodox community that was most interesting to me, a foreign and unknown world within my own city, and I would've enjoyed a novel about him entirely.
Ultimately, it was a novel about connections and relationships and, to a certain extent, masculinity rather than one that focussed on the issue of child abuse and its suppression within the Orthodox Jewish community.
Ultimately, it was a novel about connections and relationships and, to a certain extent, masculinity rather than one that focussed on the issue of child abuse and its suppression within the Orthodox Jewish community.
May 31, 2022
This book appears to be inspired by real life events in which the principal of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish girls school was accused of sexually abusing some of the students. She was spirited out of the country and spent many years in Israel, avoiding extradition to face judgement in Australia.
This book is set in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish boys school also in Melbourne. The alleged perpetrator is one of the rabbis who teach at the school and he is also spirited out of the country to avoid prosecution.
The main characters are Ezra and Yonatan, friends at the school in 1999 when the accusation is made. Twenty years later they meet by chance as the perpetrator is finally returned to Australia to face the courts and the events are brought to the fore once more.
The novel gives an insight into the community, the clash between religious and secular worlds and explores the identities and faith of Ezra and Yonatan and the choices they have made.
This book is set in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish boys school also in Melbourne. The alleged perpetrator is one of the rabbis who teach at the school and he is also spirited out of the country to avoid prosecution.
The main characters are Ezra and Yonatan, friends at the school in 1999 when the accusation is made. Twenty years later they meet by chance as the perpetrator is finally returned to Australia to face the courts and the events are brought to the fore once more.
The novel gives an insight into the community, the clash between religious and secular worlds and explores the identities and faith of Ezra and Yonatan and the choices they have made.
July 3, 2022
A sometimes intense but always honest and realistic exploration of faith, morality, power, belonging and identity. Ashley Goldberg invites the reader into the world of modern Australian Judaism - particularly the ultra conservative part of this community.
Although the specifics are fiction, as I reader, I feel I have learnt more about how this particularly community functions as well as the impact of such fundamental closed communities on its members sense of self and identity.
The intersections of scripture vs. faith vs. culture vs. morality and ability to discern between these is something that all people of faith must confront and Goldberg handles this with care and honesty.
Although the specifics are fiction, as I reader, I feel I have learnt more about how this particularly community functions as well as the impact of such fundamental closed communities on its members sense of self and identity.
The intersections of scripture vs. faith vs. culture vs. morality and ability to discern between these is something that all people of faith must confront and Goldberg handles this with care and honesty.
July 9, 2022
An intimate and refreshingly honest debut novel that follows the journey of two young men as they grabble with questions of faith, morality and identity.
The writer, Ashley Goldberg, has bravely tackled sensitive subject matter and reflects compassionately, not just on the hypocrisies that exist within the tight confines of religion, but on the contradictions that exist within ourselves as we struggle to find meaning and do what's 'right'.
A moving story about coming to terms with the choices we’ve made and finding peace within life’s uncertainties.
The writer, Ashley Goldberg, has bravely tackled sensitive subject matter and reflects compassionately, not just on the hypocrisies that exist within the tight confines of religion, but on the contradictions that exist within ourselves as we struggle to find meaning and do what's 'right'.
A moving story about coming to terms with the choices we’ve made and finding peace within life’s uncertainties.
July 8, 2022
The story is sharp and engaging. The novel addresses themes so inherent to human beings such as faith and morality, making the book universal. I enjoyed the descriptions and references to Jewish culture. I think there were some items that could have had a deeper exploration and the ending was a bit rushed for me. Full review: https://www.instagram.com/p/CfvPDXero...
June 5, 2023
This book has all the hallmarks for a big ol’ stereotype. A sex abuse scandal, involving a teacher abusing young boys, rocks an ultra-Orthodox school in Melbourne. The community shuns not the teacher (whom they ship away to Israel) but the victims who dared to get outside forces involved.
OK, well all of that part comes to pass, in backstory. In the here and now, we are following two men in their thirties: one of whom left the community 20 years ago and one of whom remained, and even teaches at the school. The stereotype might be that the atheist man, Ezra, is militantly so, and has an axe to grind with all religious Judaism. Meanwhile, the guy who’s still frum, Yonatan (Yoni) would be a total zealot for the community.
That’s not how Goldberg writes these characters. If anything, maybe it’s a little bit of the opposite. Ezra is looking for a bit of direction, and Yoni might be on a path off the derech. He has a forbidden Facebook account and, against his better judgment, accepts a friend request from one of the people of the ostracized family. This guy, Avraham Kliger, is organizing a public protest at the government building where an Israeli official is arriving on business. (The Israeli government has made excuses these past 20 years to keep the abuser, Rabbi Hirsch, from being extradited to Australia to stand trial.) Yoni decides to attend, even though this is a huge no no in the community.
While there, he runs into Ezra. These guys were good friends back in the day, but they haven’t seen each other in 20 years. Their reunion is quite friendly; no clash of ideals. Yoni ultimately invites Ezra and his gentile girlfriend, Teagan, over for Shabbat dinner. This is skirting convention a little, because even though many haredim (ultra-orthodox) want to reach out to assimilated Jews (particularly men), the truth is small-minded gossip tends to win out in the community, especially when a gentile girlfriend is involved. The seeds for conflict have been laid!
I respect that Goldberg avoids most two-dimensional characterization—especially when it comes to his women characters! :D Teagan has a little bit of a “Jew boy” fetish going on, which, ick, plus an obsession with the Hirsch case. But she doesn’t turn into an outright villain of the piece. Likewise, Yoni’s wife, Rivka, can adhere to the small-minded norms of her community—sometimes. But she also, at one point, stands up to her brother, Menachem, for similar thinking, and she has a similar hypocritical conundrum going on with regards to her own pregnancy. Hypocrisy doesn’t bother me. People are often hypocrites (and it’s often most frank in fundamentalist communities where the rules are so binary anyway.) I prefer when personalities and life hurdles are complicated. That’s what I see in the real world.
Ultimately, Hirsch is extradited to Australia, yadda yadda, but he’s not really the focal point of the story. It’s true that the scandal propelled Ezra’s parents, already less frum and not fully part of the haredi community, to move their son to another school. Goldberg also describes Ezra sometimes in terms of PTSD--and he fits “the profile” of the students Hirsch targeted (more on the outside, more alone.) But Ezra claims he wasn’t abused, that his issues with forming relationships (he’s constantly cheating and sabotaging what he has with Teagan) arises from something else.
But from what, exactly? His years between leaving and finding Yoni are kind’ve a blur. Another thing I noticed about this book: no one’s parents are still around. The best we get by way of non-romantic family is Rivka’s brother, Menachem. That felt really strange to me, almost like Goldberg was writing these characters as islands. Sure, Yoni in particular was influenced by his strictly pious father. But he only affects the present day as a ghost.
Yoni’s, er, crisis of faith feels a little abrupt, too. Then again, in communities of binaries, once you start to get shunned (they find out about his “extra-curricular” activities), it’s hard to keep going. The community, in haredi Judaism, keeps you tethered to the faith.
Ezra’s crisis moved a little slower. He finally broke up with Teagan, and saw a therapist or social worker who helped him understand his issues with intimacy. Not a full fix, but getting there. Though to quibble: he never truly admitted all of his wrongdoing to Teagan, so their sort of reconciliation (as friends) felt a little false to me. Haredi life might not be for you, Ezra, but what about true atonement, as Judaism teaches? You can’t be forgiven and move on until you admit your wrongdoing, son!
As for Australia…it didn’t really factor in much for me. The haredi community is so insular they might as well be in Crown Heights. Sure, Ezra and Teagan worked for the government, but their realities felt more or less akin to any western democracy. I dunno, maybe if I came in with a little more insider knowledge about the parties or whatnot. But maybe that’s ok. Goldberg stuck with where the story took him.
I could quibble with aspects, but ultimately I appreciate how this story grappled with faith and belonging and confronting the hypocrisy on one’s community and one’s self. Also, just to put it out there: I really appreciate where Rivka is coming from in her own journey. I read this book as part of a religious readathon called #MaybeMidrash, and I’ll probably mention this section in an upcoming video on BookTube. Was very grateful to get this female perspective in a book that revolves largely around men in a fundamentalist community. Kudos to the author.
OK, well all of that part comes to pass, in backstory. In the here and now, we are following two men in their thirties: one of whom left the community 20 years ago and one of whom remained, and even teaches at the school. The stereotype might be that the atheist man, Ezra, is militantly so, and has an axe to grind with all religious Judaism. Meanwhile, the guy who’s still frum, Yonatan (Yoni) would be a total zealot for the community.
That’s not how Goldberg writes these characters. If anything, maybe it’s a little bit of the opposite. Ezra is looking for a bit of direction, and Yoni might be on a path off the derech. He has a forbidden Facebook account and, against his better judgment, accepts a friend request from one of the people of the ostracized family. This guy, Avraham Kliger, is organizing a public protest at the government building where an Israeli official is arriving on business. (The Israeli government has made excuses these past 20 years to keep the abuser, Rabbi Hirsch, from being extradited to Australia to stand trial.) Yoni decides to attend, even though this is a huge no no in the community.
While there, he runs into Ezra. These guys were good friends back in the day, but they haven’t seen each other in 20 years. Their reunion is quite friendly; no clash of ideals. Yoni ultimately invites Ezra and his gentile girlfriend, Teagan, over for Shabbat dinner. This is skirting convention a little, because even though many haredim (ultra-orthodox) want to reach out to assimilated Jews (particularly men), the truth is small-minded gossip tends to win out in the community, especially when a gentile girlfriend is involved. The seeds for conflict have been laid!
I respect that Goldberg avoids most two-dimensional characterization—especially when it comes to his women characters! :D Teagan has a little bit of a “Jew boy” fetish going on, which, ick, plus an obsession with the Hirsch case. But she doesn’t turn into an outright villain of the piece. Likewise, Yoni’s wife, Rivka, can adhere to the small-minded norms of her community—sometimes. But she also, at one point, stands up to her brother, Menachem, for similar thinking, and she has a similar hypocritical conundrum going on with regards to her own pregnancy. Hypocrisy doesn’t bother me. People are often hypocrites (and it’s often most frank in fundamentalist communities where the rules are so binary anyway.) I prefer when personalities and life hurdles are complicated. That’s what I see in the real world.
Ultimately, Hirsch is extradited to Australia, yadda yadda, but he’s not really the focal point of the story. It’s true that the scandal propelled Ezra’s parents, already less frum and not fully part of the haredi community, to move their son to another school. Goldberg also describes Ezra sometimes in terms of PTSD--and he fits “the profile” of the students Hirsch targeted (more on the outside, more alone.) But Ezra claims he wasn’t abused, that his issues with forming relationships (he’s constantly cheating and sabotaging what he has with Teagan) arises from something else.
But from what, exactly? His years between leaving and finding Yoni are kind’ve a blur. Another thing I noticed about this book: no one’s parents are still around. The best we get by way of non-romantic family is Rivka’s brother, Menachem. That felt really strange to me, almost like Goldberg was writing these characters as islands. Sure, Yoni in particular was influenced by his strictly pious father. But he only affects the present day as a ghost.
Yoni’s, er, crisis of faith feels a little abrupt, too. Then again, in communities of binaries, once you start to get shunned (they find out about his “extra-curricular” activities), it’s hard to keep going. The community, in haredi Judaism, keeps you tethered to the faith.
Ezra’s crisis moved a little slower. He finally broke up with Teagan, and saw a therapist or social worker who helped him understand his issues with intimacy. Not a full fix, but getting there. Though to quibble: he never truly admitted all of his wrongdoing to Teagan, so their sort of reconciliation (as friends) felt a little false to me. Haredi life might not be for you, Ezra, but what about true atonement, as Judaism teaches? You can’t be forgiven and move on until you admit your wrongdoing, son!
As for Australia…it didn’t really factor in much for me. The haredi community is so insular they might as well be in Crown Heights. Sure, Ezra and Teagan worked for the government, but their realities felt more or less akin to any western democracy. I dunno, maybe if I came in with a little more insider knowledge about the parties or whatnot. But maybe that’s ok. Goldberg stuck with where the story took him.
I could quibble with aspects, but ultimately I appreciate how this story grappled with faith and belonging and confronting the hypocrisy on one’s community and one’s self. Also, just to put it out there: I really appreciate where Rivka is coming from in her own journey. I read this book as part of a religious readathon called #MaybeMidrash, and I’ll probably mention this section in an upcoming video on BookTube. Was very grateful to get this female perspective in a book that revolves largely around men in a fundamentalist community. Kudos to the author.
June 20, 2022
I love it when books are set in Melbourne! Two men who were childhood friends reconnect while their respective lives are falling apart. The book touches on a number of issues such as religion, identity and relationships. I'm looking forward to this debut author's next book.
June 6, 2022
Really very good. Immediately characterful and engrossing. A good book, well written.
October 19, 2025
Very readable, despite its heavy themes. Goldberg does a good job of merging the completely foreign ultra-Orthodox Jewish world with secular Melbourne in telling the stories of Rabbi Yonatan and lapsed Ezra.
I like a book that is real-to-life, especially in that people are flawed and can have unlikeable attributes. In Ezra, I really was tested with this. His constant self-pitying and pseudo self-reflections on his many indiscretions (with zero actual accountability) were frustrating and grating to follow, which I suppose is a testament to Goldberg’s ability to get inside someone like that.
Yonatan, on the other hand, is a different story. A pillar of wisdom and measured consideration, he is far more likeable (and interesting, however this may be because his life couldn’t be more different to mainstream society - the book does a great job of educating the reader what life is like in this self-isolated group), though, as is seen in the latter stages of the book, he is deeply troubled by the restrictions, hypocrisy and even sinisterness of his community. His inner struggle is communicated very well and was captivating to read.
The ending is satisfying in that it is in keeping with the tone of rest of the book - not neat and tidy but with at least some level of optimism.
I like a book that is real-to-life, especially in that people are flawed and can have unlikeable attributes. In Ezra, I really was tested with this. His constant self-pitying and pseudo self-reflections on his many indiscretions (with zero actual accountability) were frustrating and grating to follow, which I suppose is a testament to Goldberg’s ability to get inside someone like that.
Yonatan, on the other hand, is a different story. A pillar of wisdom and measured consideration, he is far more likeable (and interesting, however this may be because his life couldn’t be more different to mainstream society - the book does a great job of educating the reader what life is like in this self-isolated group), though, as is seen in the latter stages of the book, he is deeply troubled by the restrictions, hypocrisy and even sinisterness of his community. His inner struggle is communicated very well and was captivating to read.
The ending is satisfying in that it is in keeping with the tone of rest of the book - not neat and tidy but with at least some level of optimism.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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