Book review - The Judgement of Yoyo Gold

 

Title: The Judgement of Yoyo Gold

Author: Isaac Blum

Genre: realistic fiction

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Rating:

solidly contemplative

Summary (provided by publisher): Yoyo Gold has always played the role of the perfect Jewish daughter. She keeps kosher, looks after her siblings, and volunteers at the local food bank. She respects the decisions of her rabbi father and encourages her friends to observe the rules of their Orthodox faith. But when she sees her best friend cast out of the community over a seemingly innocent transgression, Yoyo’s eyes are opened to the truth of her neighbors’ hypocrisies for the first time. And what she sees leaves her shocked and unmoored.

As Yoyo’s frustration builds, so does the pressure to speak out, even if she can only do so anonymously on TikTok, an app that’s always been forbidden to her. But when one of her videos goes viral—and her decisions wind up impacting not only her own life but also her relationship with the boy she’s falling for—Yoyo’s world is thrown into chaos. She is forced to choose which path to take, for her community, for her family, and most importantly, for herself.

My opinion: There are plenty of books out there that feature characters in restrictive religious communities starting to look at the larger world for the first time. Mostly these books show the hypocrisy and stifling restriction of the religion. That's not quite what is happening here. Yoyo doesn't question her religion. Her belief in Hashem does not waver. Instead, she's questioning rules, restrictions. She's asking if all of these things are genuinely what is for her good. Or at least, that's how her journey starts. Without getting into spoilers, what I'll say is that I thought I had the direction of this plot figured out several times only to have the narrative shift in a small but significant way each time. The result is truly and introspective plot as Yoyo makes mistakes and keeps secrets, finding her way forward for herself. With a full cast of complex characters, this is an excellent read.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley