Description
Description
In a glorious debut, a boy confronts queer lust, shame, the threat of war, and the plague of family on the day he becomes a man
At a banquet hall, at the onset of war, Adam Weizmann's bar mitzvah party turns into a glorious catastrophe. On the cusp of manhood--and the verge of a nervous breakdown--Adam has been bracing for his special day, mired in family neuroses and national dysfunction. In a chorus of voices, a fractious cast of well-wishers narrates Adam's coming-of-age in Israel: his newly devout father and the mystic rituals he practiced on his young son; his best friend, Abbie, who points the way to joyful transgression; Khalil, a Palestinian poet, who offers a glimpse of a different way to be; and Adam himself, filled with shame and desire as he faces the brokenness of his world. At once tender and lustful, a work of scathing satire and piercing insight, Mazeltov is a wholly original vision of a young man's quest to know his own heart.
About the Author
About the Author
Eli Zuzovsky holds degrees from Harvard and Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. In 2022, he was selected for the Forbes Israel 30 Under 30 list and the London Library Emerging Writers Program, and he is the winner of the 2025 Einstein Fellowship. His films and plays have been shown at the New York Jewish Film Festival, Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, the American Repertory Theater, and the Edinburgh Fringe, among others. He currently lives in London. Mazeltov is his first novel.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
Named one of the most anticipated books of 2025 by Bloomberg
"Each part of the novel is accomplished and beautifully written. With its generally melancholy and memorable tone, this excellent book will make readers feel lucky to discover it. Mazeltov to them!"--Booklist "A sweet, sly, mournful, and horny coming of age, written with heart-on-the-sleeve and politics in the pants. Mazeltov's passionately talented author has more than earned his title's congratulations and his readers' acclaim."
--Joshua Cohen, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Netanyahus "By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Eli Zuzovsky's brilliantly observed novel offers a kaleidoscopic view of a young queer man's life, his family and his times, through the lens of his bar mitzvah. Mazeltov is an unforgettable, virtuosic debut."
--Claire Messud, author of This Strange Eventful History "Shimmering."
--Publishers Weekly "A deeply felt nov-el, wise to the mis-ery of ado-les-cence and of adulthood as well.... In a day when writ-ers are encour-aged to stay in their own lanes and not stray much beyond the bor-ders of their own being, I applaud Zuzovsky's brav-ery in bring-ing togeth-er such a diverse group of char-ac-ters."
--Jason K. Friedman, Jewish Book Council
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Henry Holt & Company
Pub date:
2025-02-11
Length:
208 pages
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