Simi Monheit's sparkling debut novel, The Goldie Standard, follows a 21st-century Jewish grandmother's attempts to secure her granddaughter's happiness, with surprising results for both women.
Goldie Mandell, widowed and stuck in a New York City assisted-living facility, is determined to find a nice Jewish boy, preferably a doctor, for her granddaughter, Maxie, a doctoral student. But when Goldie schedules some appointments for herself (to secretly vet potential suitors), she hits a snag or two: for one, her body may be hiding a few secrets of its own. And for two, Maxie seems attracted to Goldie's driver, T-Jam Bin Naumann, an artist with an eclectic history. As Goldie juggles Maxie's love life, her daughters' overbearing attentions, and a budding romance with a fellow resident, she must examine long-held assumptions about what matters most.
Monheit's witty dual narrative highlights the generational gaps and the strong bond between grandmother and granddaughter. Goldie's daughters, Esti and Tamar, also have their say about everything from medical paperwork to fashion choices, resulting in a warmhearted cacophony of assertive Jewish voices. Maxie worries for Goldie's health as she struggles to move past her recent breakup and step fully into her adult life. Goldie frequently flashes back to her childhood in Germany, before she fled the Nazis, and to her long, loving marriage to her husband, Mordy. Though Goldie often wishes she could ask Mordy for advice, it's her own hard-won wisdom--plus a dose of reality from Maxie--that steers her through medical and personal challenges. The Goldie Standard is both a highly entertaining comedy and a deeper story about faith, complicated histories, identity, and love. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams