Life has many steps to count, ramparts and thick walls that stand between us and our dreams. Life has its hardship and difficult moments, its own tour de force and masquerades rules, and every human specie is part of it, including me, you and the hero of the novel of Mr Morgenstein. If you are loved, your yard gets greener. If you sit alone on a bench in a lost city,  surrounded by fogs and painful memories, your very existence will be invaded by melancholy, unhappiness and threatening confusion. And if you fail in your commitments, romantic relationships, and marriage, tornedoes and hurricanes of pain, self destruction and anxiety will decimate your existence, resulting in constant search for shallow sexual pleasures, confronting others, profane language and rebellious behaviours. I lived all of the above and currently I am witnessing those events in Mr Morgenstein's recent novel Loving Rabbi Kleinman. The writer tells us the story of Joss Katz, a 50ish lonely and melancholic Jewish New Yorker who divorced his wife after 25 years of marriage. And now, Joss Katz is using the Internet to date new women. He is disappointed with his career. He is experiencing a trauma: the terror of having sex with a strange and younger woman. And finally, after many attempts, he falls passionately in love with a ravishing 40ish woman rabbi, herself going through a faith crisis. The wall standing between Joss Katz, his serenity and happiness is a multitude of events and new unexpected happenings such as falling in love  with a very young woman,  seducing a rabbi woman, confronting the dilemma of the big difference between ages, the failing marriage syndrome, the dissatisfaction and disappointment he is  experiencing in his career, the uncertainty of the future, emotional "cliffs" and many steps to count and surmount, and most importantly,  his unwillingness to let go emotionally of his ex-wife Ellen.

Loving Rabbi Kleinman is a canvas of the suffering of unpolished intellect and emotional anxiety catapulted by the very personal choice of Joss Katz, and in many instances, by unmerciful course of events beyond the control and rational analysis of Joss Katz. You pity Katz, because he is confused, honest, affectionate and lovable. You despise him, because he is profane, unable to trust again, incapable of commitment and so forth. However, you will ride with him an extra mile, because you sense and see a projection of yourself in his mishaps. And you seriously begin to entertain the idea and choreograph the bitter possibility that  one day, you might wake up to find yourself like Joss Katz, a lonely man in his fifties who all of a sudden, realizes that nothing has turned out the way he expected.

 Mr Morgenstein's novel Loving Rabbi Kleinman is worth reading. It is not Lord Byron's self portraiture but pretty close. It is intense and explosive. It is not Chrétien de Troyes' quest for the holy grail, but in certain passages, it reflects the sincere efforts to finding happiness and harmony. It is not Spinoza's analyses of the impact of the erratic mind and disturbed emotions. But here and there, now and then, Mr Morgenstein in his colourful images, provides revolting but intriguing arguments about men's priorities and needs such as happiness, mutual respect, understanding, and of course  " sex and a clean bathroom." Read the novel and dare to dash into the world of Gary Morgenstein and allow yourself to rethink your priorities. The novel is well crafted. No Hollywood plots here to seize you by your suspenders, but enough drama, enough explosion and implosion of sincere emotions, enough sex, love, dating, expectations and dark humour to keep you glued to Loving Rabbi Kleinman. Enjoy the reading, it is a learning experience at many levels. A powerful story for all seasons. A great story, indeed.

The novel would appeal to a large audience and readers from all walks of life, including, ritzy socialites having fun around their swimming pools in Los Angeles, corporate tycoons in heir  glass and steel offices in Manhattan, and free-spirited orators in Eden Park. Morgenstein's hero is not Parsifal, but could become one on the roads of the 21st century, a new and more realistic Parsifal with pragmatic wisdom. And remember, our author deserves more sympathy and understanding.

Two thumbs up for Mr Morgenstein. I wish him well.