We’re thrilled to see Allison Epstein‘s latest novel making the 2026 award circuit — FAGIN THE THIEF has been nominated for an Edgar Award for Best Novel, shortlisted for the National Jewish Book Award for Fiction, and deemed a 2026 Jewish Fiction Award honor book!

FAGIN THE THIEF is a thrilling, transfixing retelling of Oliver Twist through the perspective of Jacob Fagin, the infamous thief of Charles Dickens’ original tale. Long before Oliver Twist stumbled onto the scene, Jacob Fagin was scratching out a life for himself in the dark alleys of nineteenth-century London and becoming the city’s most gifted pickpocket. Everything changes when he meets the aspiring thief Bill Sikes, whose quick temper and rising ambition compel Jacob to decide what he truly values in his life.

Allison’s novel has earned much praise for bringing depth and emotional insight into a character that was originally portrayed through shallow, anti-Semitic stereotypes. The Association of Jewish Libraries wrote in their awards press release that FAGIN THE THIEF is “a daring work of literary reclamation that brings urgency and depth to a figure long confined to stereotype… It’s a tour de force of a novel.” The Jewish Book Council agrees, praising how “Epstein puts a clever spin on Oliv­er Twist by shin­ing the spot­light on Fagin… she gives us a lov­ing­ly ren­dered, insight­ful sto­ry, engag­ing with the flaws of her source mate­r­i­al and adding new lay­ers.”

Congratulations, Allison!