Ezra E. Fitz publishes his first novel, "The Morning Side of the Hill," with an introduction by award-winning novelist, Ernesto Quiñonez. Pre-order on Amazon.com today!

New York, NY -- (SBWire) -- 09/16/2014 --2Leaf Press is pleased to announce the publication of THE MORNING SIDE OF THE HILL by novelist and literary translator Ezra E. Fitz. In THE MORNING SIDE OF THE HILL, Fitz asks readers: What if you anted up and kicked in everything you had on a belief, a hope, a dream, on faith, and you lost? This is one of the questions facing Willie and Mo, the two insecure, incomplete protagonists that was inspired by William Faulkner’s classic novel, THE WILD PALMS. THE MORNING SIDE OF THE HILL will release on October 1, 2014 and is available to pre-order on AMAZON.COM

Like Faulkner’s novel, THE MORNING SIDE OF THE HILL unfolds in two parallel stories told in alternating chapters that subtly illuminate one another. In the first, set in uptown Manhattan, a disillusioned graduate student who’s just a little too familiar with the neighborhood drug dealer and a lonely woman appears doomed to a disastrous end. In the second, set in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, a soft-spoken parolee looking to reassemble the broken pieces of his former life meets a young, withered yet surprisingly ebullient cancer patient that eventually puts his one final chance at freedom at risk. As you read on, the twin tales gather like a storm to an exhilarating ferocity, culminating in a violent flood of passions that none of the characters can control, and which threatens to drown them all. Faulkner fans may think they know what the end holds for these four characters, but rest assured . . . the culmination of THE MORNING SIDE OF THE HILL exposes an unexpected coincidence that Faulkner may have hinted at but never fully explored.

NEW YORK TIMES best selling author, Sara Shepard, says THE MORNING SIDE OF THE HILL is “A love letter to Morningside Heights and to Crown Heights and so many places in between.” Fitz’s translations of contemporary Latino literary giants such as Alberto Fuguet and Eloy Urroz, coupled with living and studying in New York City for a number of years, is the inspiration behind Latino and Black characters that are authentic and compelling. Says Fitz, “This story takes place on street corners, and I wanted those street corners to sound as accurate and honest as possible.” While his characters tackle issues important to their respective communities, they also deal with issues any American family can relate to, which makes THE MORNING SIDE OF THE HILL a universal novel. In fact, Eloy Urroz, author of FRICCIÓN and THE OBSTACLES, says “There’s something of Ishiguro in this novel: it’s introspective, brooding, heartrending, yet never pretentious. In the end, it is an excellent first novel. I wish I had written something like this.”

About Ezra E. Fitz
Ezra E. Fitz’ short stories and translations have appeared in numerous publications, notably THE BOSTON REVIEW, HARPER’S MAGAZINE, and WORDS WITHOUT BORDERS. He is an Affiliate Faculty member at University of Illinois Center for Translation Studies.

Visit our website and preview THE MORNING SIDE OF THE HILL

THE MORNING SIDE OF THE HILL
Paperback $16.99 | 162 pp., 6” x 9”
ISBN: 978-1940939261 (pbk.)
Release Date: October 1, 2014
Pre-Order on AMAZON.COM