Praise for The Orchard:

“The Orchard is a wildly ambitious, propulsive novel that touches on big, life-altering topics, but David Hopen manages that weight by never losing his grip on the story, which blends philosophical questions with a unique thriller and a group of teenagers who command your attention. There’s a kind of yearning at the heart of the novel, of reckoning with those moments when we transform, wondering how we got there, and if we could ever go back to the beginning. I’d be so wary of comparing any novel to Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, but The Orchard can handle it because it diverges in such interesting ways.”
— Kevin Wilson, author of Nothing to See Here

“David Hopen’s riveting debut joins the urgency of a thriller with the devastating consequence of a spiritual crisis for its hero, who is no less imperiled by his religion than by the threat of its loss. In Ari Eden’s story the clash between youth and experience, godlessness and piety, individualism and conformity, will feel both devastatingly familiar and utterly new. The Orchard throws open the doors to this world, and introduces a major new voice.”
— Susan Choi, National Book Award winning author of Trust Exercise

“I guess it would be accurate to call The Orchard a coming-of-age story, or a fish-out-of-water story, or a clash-of-cultures story, or a crisis-of-faith story, or a false-prophet story—the truth is, The Orchard is all of this and more. It’s a story of profound intelligence, a story of tragic grandeur, and a story unlike any other I’ve ever read.” 
— Nathan Hill, author of The Nix

“A tremendous read, a brilliant excursion into the world of orthodox Jews, both thrilling and philosophical.”
— Gary Shteyngart, author of Lake Success

“To be transported, wholesale, into a new and unfamiliar world is one of literature’s great gifts, and the opening pages of David Hopen’s ambitious debut novel, “The Orchard,” promise exactly that….Hopen is a stylish, atmospheric writer whose characters inhabit sensuous tableaus, and the palpable dreariness that lingers over Ari’s solitary Brooklyn childhood is all-encompassing….But Ari’s tale of innocence lost is a mere jumping-off point for Hopen’s novel, which turns to life’s deeper questions.…The rigorous discussions — which blend poetry, literature, philosophy and a too-heavy dose of the Torah — become increasingly intense with each passing month, as the boys debate classic questions of faith and suffering, guilt and tragedy. What’s the meaning of death? Does God exist? And if so, can a mortal being unlock the “revelations of this higher world”?.... [P]art thriller, part religious inquiry, part love story, and part Tarttian homage….[Hopen’s] talent is evident, his knowledge abundant.” 
— New York Times Book Review

“The novel is absolute genius.”
— Liberty Hardy, via Instagram

“The Great Modern Orthodox Jewish American Novel…Hopen may have taken the boldest step yet in the ongoing turn of the American Jewish novel….The Orchard [is] something distinctively new in fiction.”
— Adam Kirsch, Tablet Magazine

“An entirely surprising tale, rich with literary allusions and Talmudic connections, about the powerful allure of belonging. This novel will likely elicit comparisons to the work of Chaim Potok… But Hopen’s debut may actually have more in common with campus novels like Donna Tartt’s The Secret History and Tobias Wolff’s Old School…. Hopen’s debut signals a promising new literary talent; in vivid prose, the novel thoughtfully explores cultural particularity while telling a story with universal resonances. A captivating Jewish twist on the classic American campus novel.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“This is a brilliantly conceived and crafted coming-of-age novel of ideas, replete with literary and philosophical references…. Unforgettable.” 
— Booklist (starred review)

“Magnetic.... What I was struck by is how seamlessly Hopen weaved very Jewish concepts, and debates about Judaism, morality, and God.... The ending was explosive — and one I’ll be thinking about for a long time.”
— Alma

“Hopen commingles religious philosophy and dangerous behavior in his ambitious debut… [A] moving climax. This isn’t your average campus novel.”
— Publishers Weekly

“Picture The Secret History, but instead of an elite college campus, an elite Jewish high school. Instead of rural Vermont, Miami. And instead of a commandeering classics professor with a penchant for bacchanalia, a rabbi using religion to push his students.”
— Entertainment Weekly

“Evocative of both Donna Tartt and Chaim Potok, The Orchard boldly dives into the depth of teen drama and Jewish philosophy and emerges with a heartfelt story of transformation…An impressive debut!”
— Book Passage 

“The Orchard is powerful and stirring, like a 2020 Jewish version of The Catcher in the Rye. Structured into chapters by month throughout a typical school year and tackling the ‘majestic sadness’ that is tragedy, this journal-like book written by a Yale Law School student will take root.”
— Good Morning America

“A poignant and utterly devastating experience….Hopen’s novel may call to mind works by Chaim Potok, like The Chosen and The Promise….Harrowing and brilliantly rendered.…The Orchard is intense and deeply moving as it poses its large questions and creates an atmosphere for understanding the young people who populate its pages. Its questions are not easy, nor are the answers it provides. To discover a thought-provoking young writer like David Hopen this early in his career is a rare privilege indeed.”
— The Anniston Star

“[A] big, ambitious coming-of-age story….The Orchard delivers thrills and suspense. It’s both heady and playful. It’s rich with allegory. Like the most enduring coming-of-age stories, it transports the reader into an alluring world of youth that’s unfamiliar and exciting but unmistakably nails the feelings and desires that come with trying to make sense of who you’re meant to be.”
— Goop

“David Hopen’s ambitious debut novel combines the religiously observant world of Chaim Potok’s books with the academic hothouse of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s observations of the rich and privileged….[A] singular addition to the world of Jewish fiction as well as a notable variation on the classic campus novel.”
— BookPage

“David Hopen’s debut is philosophical discussion disguised as a coming-of-age novel….[A] fascinating exploration of how people — Jews in particular — experience the presence of God….[S]ettles in the mind and heart, requiring rumination long after turning the last page….The Orchard is an outstanding debut….[Appeals] to readers who enjoy novels with depth, those they have to think about for a time after they've finished them — it compares well to Donna Tartt’s debut, The Secret History.”
— BookBrowse

“A rising star of literature…One of the best works of contemporary American postmodernism.”
— Il Sole 24 Ore (Italy)

“A novel hailed in the US as a revelation, a cross between Philip Roth’s Portnoy’s Complaint (without its irony) and Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, the debut of a brilliant law student.”
— ELLE Magazine (Italy)

“I read every night before I go to sleep, but my husband and I normally watch a TV show together first. Right now we’re watching Schitt’s Creek, and four seasons in, I look forward to our nightly episode all day. Last night, though, I was reading David Hopen’s upcoming debut The Orchard (November 17) and literally could not put it down until hours later when I finally fell asleep. And while this book already has glowing praise from authors such as Susan Choi and Gary Shteyngart, I wonder if the publisher might want to use this endorsement: So captivating, I didn’t want to watch Schitt’s Creek… Jewish tradition and theology are central to this novel, but one doesn’t need to be Jewish to enjoy it. It’s a campus novel that’s being compared to Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, and it’s a coming of age/fish out of water story. But despite these well-tread genres, and the comp to one of my Top 5 novels of all time, The Orchard is fresh, devastating, and thought-provoking. The Orchard is reputed to have an explosive ending, and I plan on ignoring everything else until I finish.”
— The Amazon Book Review

“[An] ambitious new debut [novel] exploring, among other things, the experiences of protagonists thrust into new environments….Hopen’s skill [conveys] the powerful experience of attempting to find one’s own identity.”
— The Jewish News of Northern California

“As Ari ponders over Jewish theology, Shakespeare, and Western Philosophy, Hopen’s debut novel quickly becomes a meditative work filled with allegories and metaphors that question the very nature of spirituality, faith, friendship, and human existence. The Orchard is the kind of book that you can’t put down while reading, and then can’t stop thinking about when you finish.”
— Northshire Bookstore (Staff Pick)

“A thriller so well done I can hardly believe it’s a debut. If you are a fan of The Secret History by Donna Tartt: this is the debut you’ve been waiting for.”
— Literati Bookstore (Staff Pick)

“One of my Top 3 books of 2020!”
— A Great Good Place for Books (Staff Pick)

“Hopen’s debut is a gorgeously written, lovingly crafted work of art that I believe will find a devoted, and hopefully huge, following. It stretched my mind in the best of ways.”
— Novel Notions

“The most brilliant novel I read this year. It’s a wildly engrossing bildungsroman….And, WOW, that ending!”
— Book Riot

“David Hopen’s strong dialogue and quick pacing make this debut an unforgettable and unputdownable read! Perfect for readers of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History and Susan Choi’s Trust Exercise.”
— Flyleaf Books

“[D]ark and enthralling….Hopen’s first novel provokes fiery sociological debate on whether or not science and religion can coexist. The argument is not new territory, but framing it within a story of a young man on the brink of adulthood makes the themes universal, and the pacing and smart writing cause The Orchard to sizzle.”
— Shelf Awareness

“I found this to be a mesmerizing story, the kind where you almost want to look away once in a while, but can’t bring yourself to close your eyes or turn away….Mesmerizing, spellbinding, immersive, beautifully written, thoroughly engaging debut novel that is shared in such an intimate style it makes these people, their experiences and these places come alive. To say that I was impressed seems vastly inadequate.”
— The Devon and Exeter Institution

“[A] debut novel written by a very bright young man….I love finding new authors, especially ones like Hopen, who has such a unique voice. He reminds me most of a modern-day Chaim Potok, which is very high praise, or Gary Shteyngart….[A] promising start to what could well be a rewarding writing career.”
— BookBitch

“David Hopen, the Jewish Donna Tartt.”
— Jewish Journal

“[One of] the novels of the new Dark Academia canon….[A] refreshing take on the genre, and one that makes good on its promise to shine light on the workings of privilege in every culture.”
— CrimeReads

“Hopen has written a very well received debut novel [that]…blazes away at the tensions of youth….[A]n absorbing tragedy.”
— Oxford Alumni

“Hopen has endowed his young Jewish characters with the capacity to channel an old person’s wisdom. Just prior to a climactic scene in the novel, Hopen quotes Aristotle: “Although the young may be experts in geometry and mathematics … we do not consider that a young man can have Prudence…” You rarely get a sense of prudence in young-adult fiction or in adult novels. Hopen’s ability to coherently hold this sprawling story together is impressive. Clearly, he’s set the bar high for the future. Discover him now.”
— Jewish Herald-Voice

“If you put Lord of the Flies, the Talmud, A Separate Peace, and Then Again, Maybe I Won’t in a blender and set it to frappé, then poured the whole thing into a glass labeled The Secret History, you would have this book…[I]t’s the best book I read this year.”
— So Much to Read

“This was riveting — couldn’t stop. Hopen’s book has all the elements to pull you in, and I found it to be one of the best stories of the power of loneliness I’ve ever read. Chaim Potok on speed.”
— ABA Winter Reading Group Guide

“I love this book. I recommend this for any and all Donna Tartt fans and for fans of the mystical with a strong serving of dark…A beautifully written first novel from a literary talent.”
— Waltham Public Library

“Beautiful, refined, epic…[A] masterful and surprising debut novel, which captivates, convinces and conquers…with ineffable grace.”
— Convenzionali (Italy)

“David Hopen, for his part, couldn’t have been much older than his characters when he put his hand to The Orchard, a novel that has authoritatively inserted itself among the most shining revelations of contemporary American literature. [An] astonishing narrative talent…[I]f it is to be included in the large section of Bildungsromans, it is distinguished from most of them by an abundance and depth of religious, philosophical and literary references worthy of authors far more experienced than him…. [A novel] so powerful, dramatic and compelling as to be unforgettable.”
— Rockerilla (Italy)

“A shocking debut, in the wake of the great American Jewish literary tradition, David Hopen’s The Orchard is not an easy book, but is to be savored in a profound way…For those who loved the books of Chaim Potok and Philip Roth, The Orchard is a precious read.”
— La Stampa (Italy)