The Only Daughter: A Novel

“An old-fashioned book, free of cynicism, encroaching technology and intricate plotting, but imbued with a heartfelt and optimistic view of humanity—in other words, a book filled with feeling and moral values.”—New York Times Book Review

From the internationally acclaimed, award-winning Israeli author, a stunning novel that brilliantly illuminates a young girl’s crisis of faith and coming-of-age in Italy.

Rachele Luzzato is twelve years old when she learns that her father is gravely ill. While her family plans for her upcoming bat mitzvah, Rachele finds herself cast as the Madonna in her school’s Christmas play. Caught between spiritual poles, struggling to cope with her father’s mortality, Rachele feels as if the threads of her everyday life are unraveling.

A diverse circle of adults is there to guide Rachele as she faces the difficult passing of childhood, including her charismatic Jewish grandfather, her maternal Catholic grandparents, and even an old teacher who believes the young girl might find solace in a nineteenth-century novel. These spiritual tributaries ultimately converge in Rachele’s imagination, creating a fantasy that transcends the microcosm of her daily life with one simple hope: an end to the loneliness felt by an only daughter.

In this wondrous story A. B. Yehoshua paints a warm and subtle portrait of a young girl at the cusp of her journey into adulthood.

“Yehoshua knows how to probe the human soul through characters who peek out from the pages at us all, as if to say, ‘Hey, watch out it’s about you, too.’” - Doppiozero

“We all need them —brothers and sisters and writers who speak to us as if they were our older brothers (and sisters)— A.B. Yehoshua is one.” - La Repubblica

“The Only Daughter is an act of gentle love, full of generosity.” - Tuttolibri

"One of Israel’s world-class writers." - Saul Bellow

"[Yehoshua is] an Israeli Faulkner." - Harold Bloom, The New York Times

“A wise, masterfully understated work by one of Israel's towering literary figures.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"An old-fashioned book, free of cynicism, encroaching technology and intricate plotting, but imbued with a heartfelt and optimistic view of humanity — in other words, a book filled with feeling and moral values.” - New York Times Book Review

“This short book reaffirms A. B. Yehoshua’s belief that art can help us to live with an open heart.” - Times Literary Supplement (London)

“It is an extraordinary book, quite unlike anything else by [Yehoshua] . . . a wonderful farewell from a great literary master, full of references to his own life and work.” - Jewish Chronicle