The Book of Izzy

Novelist Ben Gonshor joins The Shmooze to talk about his debut novel, The Book of Izzy. The book’s main character, Izzy, is a writer at wit’s end in life and on the verge of a complete breakdown with his career in wedding planning. Following an encounter with a mysterious bird seemingly visible only to him, he agrees to take on the leading role in an amateur production of the greatest play in all of the Yiddish theater: The Dybbuk, a gothic tale of destiny, possession, and the triumph of love over all. In conversation with Ben we talk about the many layers of Izzy and the book’s underlying narrative.