The Conversation

David Goldstein is a fairly typical Jewish-American college student. All he really knows about his Jewish identity is that he’s expected to marry a Jewish girl and that the State of Israel is important, but that’s about it. In his freshman year, though, even as a brainy and beautiful non-Jewish coed catches his eye, David begins to wrestle with some of the major philosophical questions. Is the purpose of life just to seek pleasure? Is there an objectively good way to live one’s life? Over the next four years, as his romantic and personal lives take several twists and turns, David begins to reflect more deeply on issues of faith, religion, and heritage. In this fresh, unique novel, readers follow David on a philosophical, spiritual, and intensely personal quest as he learns about God and Judaism—as well as a few other things—along the way.