The Evil Inclination by Daniel Victor
Grand Prize Winner, 2023 North Street Competition sponsored by Winning Writers
"A sensitive, tragic love story between a modern-day Romeo and Juliet who transgress religious boundaries."
—Judges, North Street Book Prize
This year's North Street judges selected The Evil Inclination from over 1,850 competing submissions, calling the book "a brilliant novel that works on many levels—theological, personal, cultural—with high stakes and sharply observed humorous moments that make the characters achingly real." See their full critique.
Lev Livitski, devoted son and upright young man, walks the path of Jewish observance without giving it a second thought. But one day in college, Lev encounters Angela Pizatto, a dark-haired knockout, and suddenly, what used to mean everything to him is no longer enough.
Layered into this love story are themes about identity and longing: how desire—what traditional Judaism calls the "evil inclination"—can define who we think we are. It's a novel not only about the burdens of tradition clashing with the power of passion, but also about the struggle to understand how the people we fall for can change us in profound and unexpected ways.
"An exhilarating, spellbinding tale...that will surprise, astonish and move you deeply."
—Joseph Telushkin, best-selling author of Words That Hurt, Words That Heal."A captivating love story pitting passion against faith ... an irresistible read..."
—Judith Shulevitz, best-selling author of The Sabbath World."A riveting—and surprising—book about family, faith, lust, heresy, temptation, wisdom and God."
—Ari Goldman, Professor and author of the best-selling The Search for God at Harvard.
The Evil Inclination is available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
