My friend Charlie thought I would like Sweet Like Sugar by Wayne Hoffman. It was lite quick reading and I was suspicious that without exceptional writing I would get distracted. The story about a gay Jewish man Benji and his friendship with an Orthodox rabbi seemed familiar territory. As I whipped through the novel I began feeling emotionally connected to the religious struggle and spirituality that Benji was tackling. OMG, then came an outburst of tears as the climax and resolution hit me. Hats off to this sweet reading experience. ( )

When an elderly Rabbi comes into his office to lie down on his couch to recover from the heat, little does Benji realise how much his life is about to change. Benji is in his late twenties, a lapsed Jew but still staunchly proud of his heritage, what does he have to do with this octogenarian Orthodox Rabbi? Initially nothing passes between Benji and the Rabbi, but as the Rabbi's visits become a regular part of Benji's day, and even after the heat passes and the Rabbi no longer needs the use of his couch, Benji maintains contact, offering the Rabbi help where needed.

The two men become good friends despite their differences, but will this relationship survive when Benji reveals to the Rabbi that he is gay?

The first thing that struck me before I had finished page one was that how well written this is, and very soon the story had me drawn in too. It is a rewarding read showing how age need not be a factor in friendship, and that giving reaps its own rewards, as over the course of the novel Benji finds the one thing that has so far eluded him. ( )

This book is fantastic.

I was not sure how this book would be able to hold my interest. I was not even sure if it could. Too often books have been written as excellent but I could not even get through the first few chapters. Unlike this book. I finished reading this book within two days.

Such a good writing to focus on the friendship between a young gay guy with an old rabbi, who turned out to be as much homophobic as often expected. Somehow, their fondness of each other made them reassess their lives. I was a little turned off by Benji's habit of finding faults with whoever he was dating. I thought the friendship with the old rabbi was because he missed his own grandfather. This was not stated so. However, the old rabbi did somehow helped him to get more comfortable with his religion and hence easier to settle down with his Bashert.

I did not really care for the flashbacks. They did not help the story to be stronger. In fact, I was more eager to skip the flashbacks and to get on with the ongoing story. Still, the flashbacks did not really make the whole book to be that slow.

I love the characters in the book. The rabbi cracked me up when he talked about the kids at his door for Halloween. Good bonding story, with inserted humor, though mild. ( )

You want to read a wonderful, sweet and yes, also romantic novel? Sweet Like Sugar is that for me. Among a plethora of novels with naked torso covers, this one stood out and attracted me. Reading the blurb, I was aware this was not a romance, but the story of an unlikely friendship between a 85 years old Orthodox rabbi and a 27 years old gay Jewish guy. So no, I wasn’t expecting for it to be romantic, and when that was the turn it took, it was a more than nice surprise.

Basically Rabbi Zuckerman is still mourning the loss of his beloved wife Sophie and to him it’s unbelievable that Benji isn’t searching for his soul mate, his bashert. On the other hand, Benji cannot tell to the more than conservative rabbi that he is gay. Aside for that, Benji is searching, but apparently he is not lucky in the boyfriends department. Now don’t start to think that Benji is some nerdy guy who only by miracle will find a Mr Right; even if the author doesn’t spend a lot of time emphasizing Benji’s good looks, it’s clear from the string of nice men passing through Benji’s life that he is a good catch for a good gay boy, problem is no one is good enough. I was starting to think that Benji was a little too much picky, when I realized what he was doing: picking be default the wrong guy, Benji was unconsciously avoiding to find his bashert. Benji was disconnected with his legacy, he refused his Jewish origins and with that, he refused also his true self; Benji didn’t think being gay and being Jewish could coexist, and he is always ready for rejection, since he is sure rejection will arrive. In a way, it’s with a self-punishment instinct that Benji befriends Rabbi Zuckerman, since that rejection is more likely to come from him than from anyone else. And rejection will arrive but with that will also arrive for Benji the chance to understand that it’s not from being gay, or being Jewish, that is coming his issues, but more from his detachment from his own self.

I like the tone of the novel, it was easy without being light; and it was not preaching, not at all. Even if Benji has some issue to accept himself, his sexuality and his beliefs, he is coming from a somewhat privileged environment, and maybe that is also where his issues are coming too. Benji’s family are more or less supportive, his father 100%, and his mother a little less, but mainly since Benji is not observant enough of his Jewish heritage. Being gay is also not something his parents would have wanted, but it’s not a reason to reject him, and Benji is still more than welcome to join the family. Benji was expecting rejection and since it didn’t find it in his family, he goes and finds it somewhere else; Benji needs the rejection to start questioning his life, and with the questions will arrive the answers and with the answers the moment when Benji will be really ready to accept his bashert.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/075826562X/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

enjoyable book about a young gay man who meets a Rabbi and his life changes. ( )