Way back in 2018 I read Sacha Lamb's solid and moving novella Avi Cantor Has Sixth Months to Live, so I was thrilled to see a full length traditionally published novel from LQ coming out!!! When the Angels Left the Old Country did not disappoint at all - it perfectly delivered a folkloric tale with classic oral storytelling elements and a suspenseful mystery/historical thriller. I loved tracing the development of Uriel and Little Ash - characters that had become totally unstuck from time - from scholars to rebels. The book also prompted me to learn more about the history of Jewish labor organizers in the US. There are so few YA books about labor movements (especially ones that feature Jewish people) & this one is deeply necessary.

When the Angels Left the Old Country is a masterpiece about the Ashkenazi diaspora, a book about care and love, a story about becoming yourself, and a funny and moving take on Jewish life in New York, complete with garment workers' strikes, corruption, and the joy of community. At the heart of it is the Jewish philosophy of working to repair the world, known as tikkun olam. Little Ash--a King of Hell who has no plans to return to that terrible place--and the Angel--who develops his identity through their travel and plans to help people from their shetl--adhere to this simply because it's right (although Ashe also uses the need to help as a way to fulfill his dream of going to America). It's a charming novel, a queer novel, a Jewish novel, an American novel. I love it.

I loved this book. Mythology has always been one of my favorite aspects of storytelling, and the folklore and magic in this story felt so compelling and real, like I could feel the energy in the air as I was reading. I think this book would be perfect for anyone that enjoys magical realism but not so much high fantasy, because it was still very much grounded in nature and spirituality.

I don't know where to begin with the adjectives. Magical. Funny. Touching. Joyful. Poignant. Damn, this is a terrific book.

An angel (who at first has no fixed name) and a demon (Little Ash, so called because he's the last and smallest of King Demon Ashmedai's offspring), Talmudic study partners in a shtetl so tiny it has no name but Shtetl, go to America to find out why a young woman named Essie hasn't written to her father since leaving. Along the way they meet and make friends with Rose, who's leaving her home in Belz brokenhearted because her friend Dinah, who was supposed to emigrate with her, has gotten married instead. Rose isn't quite sure why she's brokenhearted, but all will become clear, eventually.

I don't want to say any more about the plot, because an adjective I left out of that initial list is "suspenseful" -- I mean, I knew things were going to work out well, but the twists and turns kept me on edge anyway.

There are two love stories in this book. One is Rose's, which you can probably guess at even if you know nothing but what I've put in this review, and the other is between Ash and the angel. I want to say a little bit about that one. Ash can change the appearance of his body at will but experiences himself as male. The angel, who eventually takes the name Uriel, doesn't think of itself (its pronoun is, indeed, "it") as either male or female or, I guess, as any combination thereof. Ash and Uriel love each other profoundly, and their feelings for each other, especially when they're at odds, provide some of the most moving parts of the book.

I think many readers will want to call them asexual; although Uriel could, in human terms, be called agender, for me it doesn't quite fit to describe their relationship in human terms. They're magical beings, both literally in the book's universe and figuratively, in that Sacha Lamb has made them transcendently ... I would say "sweet" if that word didn't have such revolting connotations, but, well, yeah, something like that. Any human label narrower than "good" and "love" is too small for them.

An unexpected pleasure of this book was the complex exploration of what it means to be good -- ugh, as with describing Ash and Uriel in human terms, that phrasing seems so heavyhanded when Lamb has a beautifully light touch. In a general way it's fair to say that Ash is good through following his "evil inclination" (yetzer horeh) and Uriel learns what it means to make choices about being good.

Which leads me to my next-to-last point: as joyful and funny as this book is, it also includes real historical suffering. Jews are leaving Eastern Europe for America because they're poor and because anti-Semites keep coming after them. Steerage is crowded and the air reeks of vomit. Ellis Island is at least as much a hurdle as it is a doorway. The streets of New York are not paved with gold. The boss is a crook who's in league with swindlers and murderers. People die by violence. Sacha Lamb has a light touch with heavy issues, but they're heavy issues all the same.

Last point: I know a little, not a lot, about Eastern European Jewish/Yiddish culture and about early-20th-century NYC. Suppose you know nothing, don't let that deter you. Lamb is very good at contextualizing language and information; if you don't understand something right away, let it pass because it'll become clear soon enough. And as a last resort, there's a glossary at the end.

When the Angels Left the Old Country is on the very short list of books I would like everyone I know to read. Please and thank you.

This was such an unusual book!
There are so many components to this novel that I found it hard to get into initially, I'll be honest and say I had no clue what was going on for about 10%!
That said, once I got used to the writing style, the characters and the plot (which are all so individual), I did enjoy it's quirkiness!
There are Uriel the angel and Little Ash the demon who journey through America looking for a friend. I liked the premise and I can see how I'm in the minority with how much I've gotten from it. I just feel like it was too far over on the 'odd' spectrum for me to truly connect with it.

This book was amazing! The characters were so well-written, and the character’s relationships and emotions were very realistic and great to read. The novel's plot was very fast-paced - I read this book in a little under a day. The omniscient narration style was the perfect choice for the story, and I felt that it made the story much easier to follow; it was also incredibly well written. The writing style was very atmospheric, and I loved it so much! The setting of the story was also very interesting. It was easy to comprehend, even without much prior knowledge of the time period, which was great. Overall I loved this book, and I’d definitely recommend it!!

I want to make the disclaimer before getting too far into the review that I am not Jewish. This book drew on a lot of faith based things for Jewish people, and I cannot judge the accuracy. However, I am happy this representation was there and I want to mention that.
Why are all the books coming out this year so good? Like it just feels like my standards are being raised higher and higher with each book that I read. It’s a slight problem. But anyway. I loved this book and I can’t wait to hold a physical copy of it in my hand.
First, let’s do what we always do, talk about characters. When I first started this book I was a bit worried it was going to be too similar to Good Omens, but it was not! It was great! The angel and Little Ash were quite different from Aziraphale and Crowly. I was also rather happy that gender and sexuality were seen as different by the angels than by the human characters, and it was really a very welcome breath of fresh air. Little Ash and the angel were so incredible, and I loved how they changed throughout the course of the book. They were lovely solid characters at the beginning, and they changed as tehy went to America and realized things about themselves and each other.
While I’m talking about the angel and the demon, I want to mention something that touched my heart as I was reading. There was a very sweet subtheme of relationships and how they changes depending on the circumstances. This book did not just portray the “and they were best friends/lovers forever and had no problems” because that is, in my opinion, just a tad unrealistic. Instead the relationship had some distance at time and the angel and demon fought and made up and put time and energy into trying to make the relationship work. And it wasn’t boring to read!
At some point I am going to write a post on relationships in fiction and elaborate on this further, but right now all I want to say is that this book showed a fairly healthy relationship and how it wasn’t perfect all the time and it was super nice to read.
And now we need to talk about Rose. Rose was the third main character and also very awesome. She was a very stubborn, intelligent girl and I loved watching her grow and connect with people and still maintain her stubborn intelligence. It was just so so nice. Rose is great and I would love to go with her everywhere and talk to her for hours.
And now onto the representation. As mentioned before, I am not Jewish and so can’t speak accurately about the representation of the faith, however all of the main characters are Jewish and the author is too and reviews for the Jewish Book Council. I also appreciated the nonbinary and queer represntation that took part in the book. The way that people are writing things without explicitly naming them, and still making it overt and clear about what is going on is making my heart happy. And Sacha Lamb did not disappoint in this regard. It was so nice. I wish more books like these existed when I was younger and trying to figure myself out, but I’m glad they’re here for others.
And finally, onto the plot. The way that this book focused on the big issues, like that problem on Ellis Island, while also focusing on the small issues, like that the angel got into a squabble with Little Ash and now doesn’t know what to do, and balanced between them was really nice. The pacing seemed very nice and fit the book well, not going too fast, but still going quick enough to keep the reader engaged. It was super lovely.
This review is running a bit longer than normal, so I’m going to wrap it up now, but I just want to say: As a writer, I got writing style envy from reading this book. I want to write like this. I can’t describe it too well, but I want to write like how this book was written.

I really enjoyed this book! I though the dynamic between Little Ash and Uriel and their care for each other is eminent throughout the book. An overall wonderful and powerful story!

Beautifully descriptive, incredibly queer, and an absolutely wonderful story. I loved this read!

If you're a fan of Terry Pratchett or Neil Gaiman, this book is definitely a must-read.

“How did humans do it? How did they hold so many thoughts in their heads at once? How did they manage to love themselves, and their families, and also have enemies, and go from place to place learning?”

Wow. This story was beautiful, and I loved every minute of reading it. Emotional and thoughtful, but also so witty and bright, When the Angels Left the Old Country is a fantastic adventure centered around Jewish folklore. At some points, the story feels like Good Omens but Jewish, and at others it is a hard-hitting reflection on the challenges European Jews faced as they immigrated to the United States through Ellis Island in the 20th century. This book is so special and I absolutely loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Levine Querido for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I love this book!!!!

Sacha Lamb, also known for "Avi Cantor has Six Months to Live" and "Epistolary," is no stranger to mixing genres to create awe-inspiring stories deeply rooted in Judaism.

When an angel and a demon leave their small shtetl to help locate a missing girl in America, they find themselves in a country where the streets are not paved with gold. Shop bosses! Medical examinations at Ellis Island! Angry ghosts! Worker's rights! Lamb brings readers to America that is still so much like our own, as reflected through characters like Rose, Essie, and Isaak – people struggling to make sense of a country that does not want them. Besides their stories are Little Ash (a demon who likes mischief) and Uriel (an angel with a newly-acquired name), who have been study partners since the shtetl was barely a thought.

This is a beautiful debut that had me hooked (it made me miss my stop on the subway) for several days. I could not read anything else until I reached the end. There is much more to say about the love I have for the characters, from Ash's character arc to Uriel wanting to understand its gender and the unabashed queer joy that fills the pages, but I don't want to spoil anything! Lamb's debut is best read right away that will have you cackling with laughter one moment over one of Ash and Uriel's many squabbles to then gasping at a plot twist that nearly knocked me out of my seat. Not only that, When the Angels Left the Old Country is so delightfully Jewish. There are nods toward Yiddish classics and folklore that I had so much fun recognizing and a philosophy that runs bone-deep in the narrative that leaves you satisfied.

In short, Levine Querido has published another gem! When the Angels Left the Old Country is perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman and Veronica Schanoes.

Netalley/Edelweiss sent me an ARC. All opinions are my own

If you liked Good Omens, you're going to love this book.

It's unapologetically queer and Jewish, it's both funny and powerful.

A very precious and light book! I finished it in less than a day. It has lovely characters, and though it acknowledges some really tough realities it does not make the setting bleak or sad at all. We see everything from the point of view of these two magical little beings, who are very old, but also still naive adolescents in a way.

This is such an unassuming book that I fear it will be over looked.You don’t have to know Yiddish, or the history of the Gilded age in America, or what was going on in Russian at that point to really get the book, because the book lets you know.

Because the Angle and the Demon of this story don’t know anything, many things that the reader might not know are also explained to them. The angel doesn’t have a gender or a name, at the beginning, though the demon does, and is called Little Ash. The Angel is more traditional, in what most people think of as angels, and Little Ash may be a demon, but he has morals, and seems to want things to work out for the best.

The two of them study the Talmud, the first five books of the Jewish Bible, in a little place in a tiny village in the part of Russian that is now Eatern Europe, and had been doing so for centuries. They would have remained here, but for one of their village residents, a young girl, Essie, had gone off to America, and no one had heard from her.

And so begins the voyage of the two, and of the Angel getting a name, Uriel, and all sorts of adventures, having to do with strikes, and gangsters and all the things that new immigrants encountered in New York at the turn of the last century.

I love the characteristics of Little Ash, who does evil, but evil for good. He eats the soul of someone because they have killed many Jews, for money. The Angel doesn’t like it, but understands.

And I would be remiss to leave out Rose, the headstrong girl they meet on the ship going to America, who helps them with their mission of finding Essie. She loves the idea of adventure, and doesn’t question, too much, what she learns of Little Ash and the Angel.

There is some LGBTQ hinted at in the novel, and certainly the relationship between little Ash and the Angels is if not love, at least a strong bond.

The descriptions are wonderful, with all the grittiness that tenement housing in New York would have, as well, as the streets themselves, and the horror of the sweatshops.

I hope others will discover this great novel when it is released in October. They will not be disappointed.

<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. </em>

I love this book. I love reading historical fiction so i especially enjoyed the setting of this book. The world and plot was so interesting. The relationship between Little Ash and Uriel was everything. I loved how Little Ash supported Uriel without hesitation. Reading about Uriel trying to figure out who it is was so heartwarming. Also, Rose was incredible and a girl boss. I definitely recommend!

I loved this book! It was a nice, cozy read, the kind that warrants a big mug of chai and a crackling fire. Queerness, gender exploration (or lack of gender in one case), immigration, religion and morals; it’s a beautiful story, filled with moments that made me laugh and ones that left me misty-eyed.

Uriel the angel, genderless and neuro-atypical (or would be, if he were human), goes on a beautiful journey of self-discovery throughout the book. And Ash the devil is witty and clever and is always down to help his friend Uriel. Their relationship—their deep friendship—is the heart of the story.

I absolutely recommend this book, and would gladly read it again in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and Levine Querido for an advance copy to read and review.

When the Angels Left the Old Country is a wonderful example of how much can be packed into a fairly simple story: we have religious and moral aspects, queer discoveries, and social commentary on immigration to America. The style is delightfully witty, and balances the storybook cartoonishness of some moments with deeper, genuine humanity: the angel's distinct genderlessness and neurodivergence is a real highlight, as is the subplot of Rose the hopeless lesbian. The integration of Yiddish/Hebrew words is so natural that it didn't matter that I was unfamiliar with them (although I'm sure this will be even better for readers who grew up with these terms). For some reason, I just found this a little slow and hard to get through at points: I think the witty style is so good at summing things up briefly that you notice when scenes are stretched out. So I can't see myself revisiting the full book, but I still think this is a memorable and strikingly earnest book.

I've been waiting for this book to come out since I saw it on Tumblr this spring, so I was delighted when it popped up a few months early on my Netgalley, just a little while after I'd watched Good Omens and wished it was more Jewish. This book has lived up to everything I wanted it to be, and more. Our angel and demon have theological debates that feel like I could have heard them from my zaide's mouth, could envision people in the old country arguing and praying. The book is steeped in queerness, in the ways that each of the characters inhabits (or does not) gender, in Rose's realizations, and even in the familial worry of the crook by the train. I haven't loved a book this much in a long time.

A very precious and light book! I finished it in less than a day. It has lovely characters, and though it acknowledges some really tough realities (the characters are driven to go to America since all the young people are leaving, scared of pogroms and limited by Antisemitism, which they encounter again in the US), but it does not make the setting bleak or sad at all. We see everything from the point of view of these two magical little beings, who are very old, but also still naive adolescents in a way. 

Their dynamic *at the start* reminded me a bit of Sun Wukong and Tan Sanzang in the Journey To the West – we have the chaotic and cunning but kind character and the religious character with a mission who's quite limited in their view of the world. This changes on the boat to America, as the angel gains its name. I am still concerned that the angel can bleed and be wounded now, though it's probablyyy still imortal. I don't think I fully understood what it means for Uriel to have a name. Perhaps some of Little Ash has rubbed off on me. They are the main draw to this book, and their love and care for one another is the heart of it. 

The narration gave me the feeling of being told a story by a parent or grandparent, the atmosphere of an oral story tradition, which I found lovely. It loses it once they give chase in New York, after getting off the island, and regains it for the epilogue. 

I expected a bit more of heart to heart conversations between the two pairs throughout, and at the end of the book. While enjoyable and the climax of the story, I was least interested in the chase starting with them meeting the rabbe dybbuk, until it is lost in the river.

I hope these chevrusas get to study together in corners of synagogues and bookshops 'til the rest of eternity.

THEY'RE IN LOVE YOUR HONOR
no because??????? Oh my god i didn't think i would like this at all? started kind of weird for me but? All i can say about it is? Yes. I love this. Would recommend to friends, definitely.
sue me I'm a sucker for the little angel x demon dynamic of sorts? I never claimed to be perfect
Little Ash just kind of might be (to me at least)
And Rose my beloved +Essie <3

I felt so much love while reading this, it feels like both a gift and a kiss on the forehead i can't really explain