Praise for City of Laughter:
"In the opening pages of Temim Fruchter's debut novel, she writes that laughter serves as 'both a balm and a mask for the sad parts' of life, a perfect encapsulation of the comfort that this story offers."–San Francisco Chronicle Datebook
"A wondrous intergenerational story of queerness and Jewish folklore . . . Fruchter draws on folk tales both real and imagined to create a tender and unforgettable portrait of Jewish culture, faith, and community. This dazzling and hopeful novel is not to be missed."–Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"With prose that is erudite and alive, this fantastic debut novel explores queer love, first heartbreak, the loss of parents, and the deeply human desire for ancestral connection."–Booklist
"City of Laughter is a gorgeous and full-hearted exploration of inheritance, grief, desire, and connection, at once a story about what it means to go looking for the ghosts we always knew were there and what it means to be in the right place to encounter the unexpected things we didn't know we were waiting for. A sharply observed, tenderly complex, and wildly delightful debut by an original and impressive new voice."–Danielle Evans, author of The Office of Historical Corrections
"City of Laughter has the sparkle and fire of something truly rare. Deeply developed and carefully crafted, this novel is chock full of wit and tenderness and an incredible amount of heart. Temim Fruchter is a steady hand when it comes to assessing the deep tangle of fraught family dynamics. History sits inside itself here, its heartbeat echoing out into the future, rippling like silk. Without question, City of Laughter is one of the most thoughtful and thought-provoking books I've ever read."–Kristen Arnett, author of the novel With Teeth
"Temim Fruchter's City of Laughter is deeply ambitious, deeply fun, queer mythological storytelling at its finest. A powerful, profound, beautifully-told and thought-provoking debut."–Jordy Rosenberg, author of Confessions of the Fox
"City of Laughter is a rich, lyrical portrait of four generations of unruly longings, a multigenerational tale of seeking, of laughter, of the sacred hiding in plain sight. Every line is haunted by loving ghosts."–Zeyn Joukhadar, author of The Thirty Names of Night
"Reading City of Laughter is like stumbling upon an heirloom treasure chest: richly imagined, painstakingly crafted, full of delights. In sonorous, inventive writing that pays homage to a glorious folkloric tradition, Fruchter gives us the stories of queer Jewish femmes through the varied generations of an unforgettable family."–Sarah Thankam Mathews, author of All This Could Be Different
"City of Laughter is a bountiful, curious, huge-hearted celebration of desire and memory, illuminating the eternal, indestructible nature of queer inheritance, and reminding us yet again that history is folklore and folklore is history."–Elisa Albert, author of Human Blues
"Temim Fruchter's debut novel is moving, funny, beautifully crafted, rich with insight, and wildly gripping. The queer Jewish femme multi-generational family saga I didn't know I needed!"–Andrea Lawlor, author of Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl
"An absolute pleasure, a thrilling journey that endlessly finds new ways to surprise and delight, challenge, and enthrall. Very few debut novels are as ambitious as this; even fewer deliver on even their biggest promises so assuredly."–Matt Bell, author of Appleseed
