When the Angels Left the Old Country
core novel 2022 When the Angels Left the Old Country
Record
| First published | 2022 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.25 (4,238 ratings, collected 2026-09-14) |
| First-edition ISBN | 9781646141760 |
Synopsis
When the Angels Left the Old Country is set in the early twentieth century and follows Uriel, an angel, and Little Ash, a minor demon known as Ashmedai, the only two supernatural beings watching over a small Eastern European shtetl, spending their days arguing about the Talmud in the back of the synagogue. Little Ash proposes they travel to America to find Essie, a young woman from their village who emigrated and stopped writing home to her father, though his real motive is a private fear of being left behind as the shtetl empties out. Their journey carries them from the old country through Ellis Island toward the tenements of Hester Street, where they are joined by Rose, a sixteen-year-old immigrant nursing a broken heart after her best friend chose marriage over leaving with her, forming an unlikely trio navigating the hardships of the new world.
Where it sits
- Universe: When the Angels Left the Old Country
- Series: When the Angels Left the Old Country (novel) core; position 1 of 1 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Sacha Lamb
Awards (verified)
- Mythopoeic Award (Adult Literature), 2023: won; Confirmed directly via mythsoc.org's own 2023 awards page, listed under the Adult Literature category winner despite the book's YA marketing/shelving.
- Stonewall Book Award (Children's and Young Adult Literature), 2023: won; Confirmed directly via ALA's own press release: won the 2023 Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Award (Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children's and Young Adult Literature Award) in the Young Adult category.
Notes
- From the series record (When the Angels Left the Old Country (novel)): A 2022 novel following an unnamed angel and a demon, Little Ash, who have spent centuries studying Talmud together above a small Eastern European shtetl. They leave for America in search of a missing girl, Essie, and along the way take in a sixteen-year-old runaway, Rose, travelling through Warsaw, Ellis Island, and the Lower East Side while confronting ghosts, lost souls, and more mundane human dangers. Standalone; registered as a single-work universe (LOTR-analogy convention).
Sources
- Jewish Book Council: When the Angels Left the Old Country
- https://shop.yiddishbookcenter.org/products/when-the-angels-left-the-old-country-by-sacha-lamb
- The Mythopoeic Society: Mythopoeic Awards 2023
- ALA: 'Love, Violet' and 'When the Angels Left the Old Country' win 2023 Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Award
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