The Evil Inclination

Winner of the 2023 North Street Book Prize

Lev Livitski, devoted son and upright young Orthodox Jew, collides with Angela Pizatto, a dark-haired knockout, and suddenly, what used to mean everything to him is no longer enough.

Angela pulls Lev from a cloistered and prudish existence into a passionate romance that must remain a secret because she is Catholic and he is Jewish. As the young lovers gallivant throughout Brooklyn, and as their devotion to each other builds, they realize that they are headed toward a pivotal crossroad—can they possibly overcome the seemingly insurmountable differences in their backgrounds and attain a shared future?

“An exhilarating, spellbinding tale . . . [that] will surprise, astonish and move you deeply.”

—  Joseph Telushkin, best-selling author of Words that Hurt Words that Heal and Jewish Literacy.