Podcast Summary: Maya Arad, "Happy New Years" (New Books Network, Nov 11, 2025)
Episode Overview
In this episode of the New Books Network's Literature channel, host G.P. Gottlieb interviews Maya Arad about her latest novel, "Happy New Years" (New Vessel Press, 2025). Arad’s epistolary novel spans fifty years in the life of Leah, an Israeli émigré who annually updates her teachers college friends with news of her American life. Their conversation explores themes of loneliness, the immigrant experience, women’s roles, and how people narrate and whitewash their own stories across generations.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Conception & Structure of the Novel
- Epistolary Format as Inspiration:
- Arad shares that the structural idea came first—telling a life story solely through annual Rosh Hashanah letters from Leah, an Israeli woman who moves to America to teach Hebrew.
- “I want to try to see if I can write a novel made completely out of letters sent annually every year before Rosh Hashanah…” (03:08, Maya Arad)
- Arad shares that the structural idea came first—telling a life story solely through annual Rosh Hashanah letters from Leah, an Israeli woman who moves to America to teach Hebrew.
The Sourcing & Preservation of Letters
- How were the letters saved?
- Leah ultimately recovers her old letters through her close friend, Mira, who kept them, providing a built-in rationale for their preservation in the narrative.
- “Towards the end of the book, she's asking her closest friend, Mira, if you still have all my letters from those many years ago, can you please send them to me?” (04:09, Maya Arad)
- Leah ultimately recovers her old letters through her close friend, Mira, who kept them, providing a built-in rationale for their preservation in the narrative.
Leah’s Outsider Status & the Role of Friendship
- Loneliness and Connection:
- Despite being largely disliked or tolerated by her peers, Leah continues to send letters to maintain connections, highlighting her deep-seated need for friendship and belonging.
- “I used to think that it's because I was a new immigrant in Israel… But now I know it’s something within me, this feeling of being out of place.” (05:17, Maya Arad)
- The book becomes a meditation on loneliness rather than ambition:
- “I realized, no, it’s something much more basic. It’s about human loneliness, about looking for connection with people, with friends.” (06:30, Maya Arad)
- Despite being largely disliked or tolerated by her peers, Leah continues to send letters to maintain connections, highlighting her deep-seated need for friendship and belonging.
Societal Expectations for Women (1960s-1970s)
- Marriage & Career Prospects:
- Women were expected to find a husband and take up professions like teaching. Leah’s path—being sent to teach in America in hopes of finding a Jewish husband—was typical for the era.
- “…If a woman wasn’t married by the time she was 24 or 25, they would send her to America to teach Hebrew… Maybe she will find some nice Jewish men there.” (07:13, Maya Arad)
- Women were expected to find a husband and take up professions like teaching. Leah’s path—being sent to teach in America in hopes of finding a Jewish husband—was typical for the era.
Key Supporting Characters & Influences
- Shula, the Teachers College Director:
- Shula embodies the didactic, mission-driven teacher, yet may have acted out of self-interest or systemic bias by sending Leah to less desirable postings.
- “If I had to be her advocate, I would say, you know, she did what she thought was best given… the times that she lived in the 1960s.” (09:29, Maya Arad)
- Shula embodies the didactic, mission-driven teacher, yet may have acted out of self-interest or systemic bias by sending Leah to less desirable postings.
- Ruti and Tzvika:
- Tzvika, infatuated with Leah, is paired by her with Ruti. Their enduring friendship becomes Leah’s support system in America.
- “Even though… she didn’t find an enduring love, she found good friends, which is as important, I think, for her life.” (10:26, Maya Arad)
- Tzvika, infatuated with Leah, is paired by her with Ruti. Their enduring friendship becomes Leah’s support system in America.
Leah’s Reputation and Narrative Reliability
- Is Leah a “Marriage Breaker”?
- The ambiguity of Leah’s actions—her involvement with married men and tendency to see only her own side—positions her as a deeply unreliable yet sympathetic narrator.
- “Leah is a very unreliable narrator and she’s very naive… but, you know, maybe it’s because she’s so naive and I want to believe her.” (11:27, Maya Arad)
- The ambiguity of Leah’s actions—her involvement with married men and tendency to see only her own side—positions her as a deeply unreliable yet sympathetic narrator.
- Turning a Blind Eye:
- Leah’s self-narration glosses over or omits major issues like her husband’s problematic behavior and her son's addictions, raising questions about denial versus survival.
- “You can’t tell for sure—doesn’t she stop to think or does she prefer to turn a blind eye?” (13:19, Maya Arad)
- Leah’s self-narration glosses over or omits major issues like her husband’s problematic behavior and her son's addictions, raising questions about denial versus survival.
Family, Upbringing, and Emotional Legacy
- Minimal Mention of Parents:
- Leah’s immigrant parents likely lacked the resources or emotional capacity for deeper parenting, which shapes Leah’s later struggles.
- “Her parents must have been so busy… eking out a living… they were not really emotionally available.” (14:02, Maya Arad)
- Leah’s immigrant parents likely lacked the resources or emotional capacity for deeper parenting, which shapes Leah’s later struggles.
Shame, Secrecy, and Self-Presentation
- Whitewashing Problems:
- Leah minimizes difficulties (her own divorce, her husband's debts) due to shame and the stigma attached to personal failures.
- “It took Leah a long time to be able to own all of the things that you had to deal with… only now I can see that she was a very impressive woman…” (15:20, Maya Arad)
- Leah minimizes difficulties (her own divorce, her husband's debts) due to shame and the stigma attached to personal failures.
The Immigrant's American Dream vs. Reality
- Life in America—Benefits and Costs:
- Leah’s letters balance descriptions of American comforts (boxed cake mixes, dishwashers) with explanations for why not having certain luxuries isn’t shameful in the U.S.
- “In America, there's no shame in saving money. On the contrary, it's something to be proud of.” (16:32, Leah via Maya Arad)
- This is in response to subtle judgments from old acquaintances visiting and gossiping upon their return.
- Leah’s letters balance descriptions of American comforts (boxed cake mixes, dishwashers) with explanations for why not having certain luxuries isn’t shameful in the U.S.
Optimism and Voice
- Crafting Leah’s Optimism:
- Arad, a self-described pessimist, describes how writing a highly optimistic character was a joyful exercise.
- "Writing about Lea was such a joy. Writing about someone who's always looked at the sunny side of life…" (19:09, Maya Arad)
- Arad, a self-described pessimist, describes how writing a highly optimistic character was a joyful exercise.
The sweep of time: Historical Milieu
- Seeing the 20th Century through Letters:
- Gottlieb praises the book’s ability to track both an individual life and the changing times across decades, with Leah’s life threaded through global and Israeli history.
- “You’re really getting to know and getting to see the 20th century. Also, because she comments on what’s happening in the world.” (19:27, G.P. Gottlieb)
- Gottlieb praises the book’s ability to track both an individual life and the changing times across decades, with Leah’s life threaded through global and Israeli history.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On Leah's Alienation:
- “I used to think that it's because I was a new immigrant in Israel and everybody else was Sabra… But now I know it’s something within me, this feeling of being out of place.”
– Maya Arad (05:17)
- “I used to think that it's because I was a new immigrant in Israel and everybody else was Sabra… But now I know it’s something within me, this feeling of being out of place.”
- On Friendship vs. Love:
- “Even though… she didn’t find an enduring love, she found Good friends, which is as important, I think, for her life.”
– Maya Arad (10:26)
- “Even though… she didn’t find an enduring love, she found Good friends, which is as important, I think, for her life.”
- On Narrating One’s Own Story:
- “It took Leah a long time to be able to own all of the things that you had to deal with…”
– Maya Arad (15:20)
- “It took Leah a long time to be able to own all of the things that you had to deal with…”
- On Writing an Optimist:
- “Writing about Lea was such a joy. Writing about someone who's always looked at the sunny side of life…”
– Maya Arad (19:09)
- “Writing about Lea was such a joy. Writing about someone who's always looked at the sunny side of life…”
Important Segments & Timestamps
- Introduction to the Book & Author | 01:36 – 03:02
- Epistolary Structure and Inspiration | 03:04 – 03:46
- Questions of Letter-Keeping | 03:46 – 04:36
- Leah’s Outsider Status & Search for Connection | 05:17 – 06:51
- Societal Expectations for Women (1960s context) | 06:51 – 07:37
- Shula’s Role and the Move to America | 07:56 – 10:54
- Assessment of Leah's Reputation & Reliability | 11:27 – 13:31
- Her Parents and Upbringing | 13:31 – 15:01
- Shame and Secrecy in Self-Presentation | 15:01 – 16:32
- Cultural Contrasts: Life in America vs. Israel | 16:32 – 18:25
- Writing Optimism, Author’s Personal Reflection | 18:43 – 19:09
- Closing – Next Work & Farewells | 19:53 – 20:13
Final Thoughts
Maya Arad’s "Happy New Years" emerges as a powerful depiction of loneliness, resilience, and the complexities of self-presentation across a life marked by migration, social change, and the quiet longing for connection. Through this interview, listeners gain insight into the subtleties of epistolary storytelling and the emotional truth buried within the letters of an ordinary—yet extraordinary—woman’s life.