Fagin the Thief, with Allison Epstein

Please register for this free online program, in conjunction with the Library’s One Bay One Book program.

In her novel reexamining Charles Dickens’s hateful portrayal of Fagin in Oliver Twist, Allison Epstein fashions a compassionate Jewish origin story for the notorious pickpocket. The novel reveals the world of those struggling at the lowest rung of Victorian London society, including the perils of surviving a life of crime, forging brave but problematic relationships, and enduring the evils of systemic prejudice.

Allison Epstein holds an MFA in fiction from Northwestern University and is the author of three historical novels. Her most recent novel, Fagin the Thief, was a finalist for the 2026 Edgar Award for Best Novel and was shortlisted for the National Jewish Book Award. A Michigan native, she now lives in Chicago, where she enjoys good theater, bad puns, and fancy jackets.