Why We Chose It
This is a big, ambitious coming-of-age story about an intellectually curious high schooler named Ari Eden. Before his senior year, Ari and his family move from an Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn to Zion Hills, a showy Miami suburb where his new peers are much less focused on studying the Torah and dress nothing like him. In Zion Hills, Ari is befriended by his next-door neighbor, Noah—the golden-boy star of the basketball team. It’s a friendship that makes no sense to Ari at first and one that places him inside the school’s most exclusive circle of charismatic characters. Over the course of the school year, the group is shaped by a series of secrets, attempts at romance, and the dark, genius mind of their sometime leader Evan, who pushes them to test their faith in unconventional and ultimately life-altering ways.
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.
Start by reading an excerpt and then pick up a copy of the novel from your
local bookstore or find more retailers selling it here.
WATCH THE CHAT
Our wellness director interviews David Hopen—and he answers questions from our readers in real time.
About the Author
David Hopen is a student at Yale Law School. Raised in Hollywood, Florida, he earned his master’s from the University of Oxford and graduated from Yale College. The Orchard is his debut novel.
A Q&A with DAVID HOPEN
Where did the idea for The Orchard come from?
Three interests gave rise to The Orchard. I started writing the novel when I was about eighteen, as a high school senior. I wanted to capture the splendor integral to the precipice of adulthood: the furious attempt to belong, the way ideas and relationships and shadows pierce your heart for the first time, leaving wounds that both persist and enrich. At the same time, I felt as if the curious, beautiful world of Modern Orthodox Judaism remained largely neglected within fiction. Here was this complex moral ecosystem hiding in plain sight in the contemporary American landscape. I wanted to examine this subculture and also use it as a backdrop to take seriously universal questions I hoped readers would navigate. Finally, I’ve always been enthralled by the legend of the four rabbis journeying into some mysterious “orchard.” Repossessing this myth allowed me to pursue a vision of tragic grandeur while also conceptualizing, in decisively modern terms, things like divinity and worth and goodness.
MORE BOOKS AND AUTHORS WE LOVE
The 12 Best Books of 2020
Our favorite novels of the year, plus a book of essays by a legend, a poetry…
7 Debut Books to Devour
Readers love a first-timer. And we love this collection of debut memoirs…
Unconventional Thrillers, Stories with Staying Power, and the Brightest… Fiction of Fall 2020
9 Unexpected Narratives for Your Stack
Some of these books cover territory that isn’t often written about (for example…
12 New Books Keeping Us Company
Love affairs, a tale of the piano graveyard in Siberia, and a…
INVITE YOUR FRIENDS TO JOIN
Share what you’re reading, tag us @goop and #goopbookclub, send a book to someone to say you’re thinking of them, and tap your crew to connect with us in our new book club Facebook group. Talk soon.
We hope you enjoy the books recommended here. Our goal is to suggest only things we love and think you might, as well. We also like transparency, so, full disclosure: We may collect a share of sales or other compensation if you purchase through the external links on this page.
