Temple by Robert Greenfield published 1983 is a book I bought years ago and have been meaning to read for years but never quite got around to it but now with my book blog Reading Matters I have the push I needed.
When Temple begins the main character, Paulie Bindel, is living in Cambridge, Massachusetts with his girlfriend Leslie. He has dropped out of graduate school and works nights at a bookstore for very little pay. He hates his job but the one thing Paulie does love is music. Going to a popular nightclub in Cambridge, The Charity Ward, for Paulie is akin to a religious experience. But when he discovers his beautiful girlfriend Leslie has been cheating on him there doesn't seem to be a reason to stay in Cambridge and so Paulie heads back to Brooklyn where he grew up.
Can you go home again and find answers regarding how you should live your life? That's one of the questions Temple asks, home not being just a geographical location but returning to your family, your neighborhood and your faith. Since Paulie is still young he is lucky. His parents, Marty and Esther Bindel are alive and in good health. Paulie though is somewhat dismissive of his parents. He has come back primarily to reconnect with his grandfather who he loves and who he is hoping will provide him with answers.
The novel is about Paulie's journey and he narrates some chapters. We also learn about other characters in the novel whose life revolves around Temple Ahavath Mizrach and the Brooklyn neighborhood. Paulie's grandfather a deeply religious Orthodox Jewish man and a Holocaust survivor. Paulie's father Morty who has worked hard to support his family and pay for Paulie's education. Paulie's mother Estner who stayed up nights with Paulie when he was a kid treating his asmtha. Rabbi Simeon Harkveldt spiritual leader of the Temple who worries how his congregation feels about him. The guys at the Post Office where Morty gets his son a job who spend their time drinking and fighting. The ladies at Toni's Beauty Salon where Esther gets her hair done and catches up on the gossip with her friends.
And actually it's the supporting characters in Temple that most interested me. Robert Greenfield does a masterful job telling us about their lives, hopes, fears. And as I learned more about them I found my attitude changing towards Paulie. He is bright or as his father says "too bright. That's always been his problem". And though Paulie is funny in a self-deprecating way, he's also judgemental about himself and others. Maybe if he could learn to cut himself some slack he could go easier on those around him.
Temple published in 1983 describes a different world than today but the lessons iin this novel about finding your place are timeless.
No comments:
Post a Comment