By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

Readers of this column know that I am a big fan of Jean Meltzer’s books because, unlike many rom-coms, at least one of her main characters lives with a serious medical issue.(*) Her latest work, “Magical Meet Cute” (Mira), takes a slightly different tack to this problem and adds yet another dilemma: what do you do when antisemitic posters target you and your community? But it was the potential supernatural aspect featured – did she really create a golem? – that made me decide to review it together with Shelly Jay Shore’s first novel “Rules for Ghosting” (Dell): Shore’s main character really does see ghosts. However, what really ties these two heart-warming novels is the fact that their main characters wonder if they are worthy of being loved. 

Meltzer usually offers the thoughts of two main characters, who serve as the love interests. The first is Faye Kaplan, who moved to Woodstock, NY, after being dumped by her fiancé. Leaving a thriving legal practice, Faye opens Magic Mud Pottery, which allows her to pursue her first love: creating pottery. However, she is rarely satisfied with her work. The problem is her wrist, which was broken by her mother when she was in high school and which was never allowed to heal properly. Faye can’t control one finger, which leaves her with what she considers imperfect works because of their misshapen sections and the imprints of her finger where she feels they don’t belong. 

Although Faye considers herself a Jewitch (that is not a typo) and uses potions and magic incantations to help people, she does belong to a synagogue. Attending a matching-making event at the synagogue under duress, she feels so awful she leaves early. Ever since her fiancé broke up with her, she hasn’t wanted to date, feeling she can’t be her true self in a relationship – just as she could never be perfect to please her mother, no matter how hard she tried. On the way home. Faye discovers something shocking: antisemitic flyers that target her and other Jewish businesses. She’s so upset she drinks far too much and decides to perform a magic ritual: she creates a small, well-endowed, clay golem with red yarn for hair and buries it in her back yard under her rose bush.

Then, hung over and sleepy the next morning, she is on her way to a meeting about the flyers at the synagogue when she hits a tall, extremely good looking, red headed man with her bike. Following him to the hospital, Faye learns that not only doesn’t he remember who he is, he can barely speak. Since no one comes to claim him, Faye rescues him – taking him home so he won’t have to go to a shelter. Her friends, however, are not pleased with her decision to take Greg – as they decide to call him – in to live with her. After all, no one knows is he really suffers from memory loss or is a con man.

Readers learn Greg’s thoughts in the chapters that focus on his point of view. He really has no idea who he is and is extremely frustrated until he once again learns to speak. He also becomes very fond of and very attracted to Faye – reading the books she keeps in her store, which also serves as her home, and learning about her life. He thinks her work – the pottery she condemns for being imperfect – is beautiful because of its imperfections. As they search for his real identity, he worries that he may be part of the group that distributed the antisemitic flyers. Faye, on the other hand, has a different worry: is Greg the golem she created, a creature who seems perfect at first, but which, like the stories she’s read on the internet, will go berserk and destroy her and her town?

“Magical Meet Cute” had a different feel than Meltzer’s other works, partly because Greg is such a puzzle – although an absolutely wonderful and romantic one – even to himself. Readers may find themselves debating whether they want him to be a golem or a normal person who lost his memory. The plot is filled with sexy, funny, suspenseful and adventurous moments. I did figure out part of the mystery, which definitely did not spoil the fun, but made me feel pleased with myself for guessing correctly. There are also serious sections about how antisemitic actions create fear and, as Faye learns, how it helps to face those fears with courage and the aid of one’s friends and community. My only question after finishing the book was, “When is her next novel being published?”

Reading and reviewing two books together can create problems because sometimes I enjoy one book far more than the other and can only offer faint praise for the second. Fortunately that was not true in this case: I found “Rules of Ghosting” absolutely delightful – a funny, sweet novel with characters you’d like to have as friends. OK, Ezra Friedman is a bit of a mess at times, feeling the need to take care of all the members of his family, even though he is the middle, not oldest sibling. His family runs a Jewish funeral parlor where he played as a child. But after his grandfather, the original owner of the parlor, dies, Ezra begins to see ghosts, the first of which is his grandfather, whom he feels looks at him with disapproval and disappointment.

Part of the reason for this feeling is that Ezra is queer and partway through a transition from female to male. (He has been taking testosterone, but has not yet been able afford top surgery. Instead, he wears a binder most of the day.) The rest of his family has been fairly accepting of this change and he is fortunate to have supportive friends. Ezra finds even more community when he has to move from living alone into an apartment he shares with several roommates. The fact that his former boyfriend lives in another apartment in the building complicates matters. But they’ve managed to remain friends, and the roommates from both apartments wander in and out of each others’ space. Life gets more complicated, though, when Ezra learns that his main source of income is being cut: the yoga center where he works has to close for renovations and he doesn’t make enough from his side gig as a birth doula to fully support himself.

This leaves him unsure about his future when he attends a seder at his parents’ house with his two siblings, the rabbi of their synagogue, his wife and Jonathan, their former son-in-law, who just happens to live alone in the apartment below Ezra’s since his partner died the year before. Something happens at the seder that changes the lives of both families (I am not going to reveal what it is, but it was a doozy of a thing to announce at a family gathering) and Ezra finds himself working at the funeral home. There is only one problem: in addition to the regular ghosts he sees, Ben, Jonathan’s late husband, appears and breaks several of the rules of ghosting Ezra’s learned: he appears in more than one place and does something no other ghost has done – speaks to Ezra. Ezra finds himself very attracted to Jonathan, but worries he could be taking advantage of someone still in mourning. Plus, it’s difficult to concentrate on romance when the spouse of your love interest is watching. Even worse, Ezra feels that his insecurities and gender issues make him unworthy of being loved.

In addition to its love story, “Rules for Ghosting” offers a well-done look at Jewish funeral practices, particularly taharah, the ritual washing of the deceased before burial. Rather than offering specific details of what’s done, the novel shows what it means to those performing the ritual, as they take great care to treat the body of the deceased with respect. In fact, helping families during times of grief is what Ezra’s family does. While it is not the main focus of the work, this allows readers to realize how wonderful – even with all their idiosyncracies – Ezra’s family is. While “Rules for Ghosting” is Shore’s first novel, it doesn’t read like one: its complex, quirky characters grew on me and I enjoyed every bit of the journey they took.

What stood out to me after reading “Magical Meet Cute” and “Rules for Ghosting” is how both Faye and Ezra felt they weren’t worthy of being loved. Faye’s difficulties clearly came from her family of origin. While Ezra’s parents put too much pressure on him to take care of his siblings, his problems also stemmed from the way society treats those who are queer, creating even more issues for someone who already doesn’t feel comfortable in his own skin. I came to care about both of these characters, which also means I’m grateful these novels were rom-coms because it would have hurt had they not found love. Both books come highly recommended.

(*)To read The Reporter’s reviews of Meltzer’s previous books, see Off the Shelf: Looking for romance; Off the Shelf: Searching for romance: intellect vs. emotion; and Celebrating Jewish Literature: Rom-com heaven.