The Evil Inclination

De: Daniel Victor

Narrado por: Laura Patinkin

"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.

Lev Levitski, 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.

Angela pulls Lev from a 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? It is a question they must confront if they are ever to have a shared future.

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.

©2023, 2024 Daniel Victor (P)2025 Daniel Victor

This book made me think..

What is an evil inclination? When does it start? If the inclination begins with one's focus on a particular thing, will it effect changes on that person's behavior in other aspects of his/her life? I loved the interspersion of Talmud quotes. And the reader did an excellent job!

Couldn't stop listening!

I am not a religious person by any stretch of the imagination, so it’s always interesting to me when I listen to a story where the central characters are. In The Evil Inclination, Daniel Victor explores the meshing of two quite different religions of Judaism and Catholicism as told through the story of two young college-aged students falling in love in New York, and the trials and tribulations that follow.

Lev Levitski and his family are a devout Orthodox Jewish family. Lev tries to live his life by the Torah and the Talmud. His faith is put to the test when he spies Angela Pizatto in his economics class. She’s a stereotypical Italian American Catholic from New York, so the polar opposite of everything he tries to be. She’s loud, brash, and actually rather hard to like at first.

She comes across as a rather dreadful human being during their first date, so it all looks doomed, but of course being the main characters, you know it has to get better. What follows is a whirlwind romance coupled with a crisis of faith as they both dive headlong into the relationship. Angela as a character settles down quickly from the person we first met into someone who is genuinely interested in learning more about Lev and his traditions.

This was in part a romance and at the same time a lesson or brief introduction, to what it means to be someone of the Jewish faith. From Talmudic quotes to the intricate customs and traditions of Judaism they must follow that I’d never heard of before such as a prohibition on turning on lights during the sabbath to not dating outside of your religion.

While the latter is not exactly prohibited, the struggles the Lev has as he hides the relationship from everyone he knows as they wouldn’t understand was a bit of an eyeopener. He feels as if it’s a betrayal of everything he holds to be true while also accepting his love for Angela is also true.

Lev and Angela crisscross New York using the multitude of subway lines as they seek to keep their relationship secret. From gritty out-of-the-way diners to a tiny rundown apartment, they pursue their relationship. The writing is excellent, and I could picture these parts of the city most people never see without ever having visited.

Narration by Laura Patinkin was excellent and well-paced. She has a voice that’s easy to listen to, and the production was clean and error free.

This was an eye-opening and thoroughly enjoyable story of two people in love and an exploration of “the evil inclination” from Jewish theology. As I understand it from this book, the evil inclination refers to the human inclination toward things like selfishness, base desires, and moral failing. Not inherently “evil” in a purely negative sense but as part of the tension between self-interest and spiritual or ethical living.

Victor digs into this concept with Lev as his emotions and mind war with what he was brought up to believe and the life he finds himself presented with. So overall, a heartfelt exploration of faith, identity and love that I think will give me things to ponder on for a while.

Wow!

The plot is so beautifully thought out and intertwined. The narration had me hooked! I already miss the characters.

A heart rending and thought provoking story

Beautifully written, with a narration that truly captures the characters. This book may make you laugh and may make you cry. it will definitely make you think.

If you want to keep a secret you can

I thought it was well done. Love is love …… sometimes opposites attract
I listened to the audio version and loved it ! The slang in the audio was spot on .
Highly recommend

Windows into 2 worlds

Insightful examination of two cultures. Interesting look at the meaning and effects of guilt. Wonderfully narrated.

Brought into another world so fabulously

When I started listening to the evil inclination, I thought this is a little slow and where is it going? But as soon as Lev met Angela, I couldn’t stop listening. Their love story develops with so many layers and such emotional love. I was constantly worried that they were going to be discovered. Each character is so interesting. I loved the grandmother.
The narration is wonderful and is so enjoyable to listen to. I learned so much and cannot forget the characters. I continue to think about them.

Great narrator and enjoyable characters!

I loved Laura Patinkin’s narration! Her different voices for different characters were superb and her tone, flow and cadence perfect! The story was engaging and the characters entertaining. The ending was a nice surprise too.

Great book

Just loved the story of Lev and Angela. Very thought provoking and it stayed with me long after I finished. Showed me a world I know very little about. The narration was great. I highly recommend.

Beautifully written, wonderful story

I so enjoyed listening to The Evil Inclination. The narrator’s telling of this charming and heartfelt story truly brought these most interesting and unpredictable characters to life. Couldnt recommend it more!