Vera is vengeance embodied. She may be a golem, but a special one made with kishuf - sorcery - that incorporated the body parts of a murdered girl. Vera struggles to parse out her own nascent identity and morality while on a bloody quest to kill Nazis; because while she has been created only for violence, she wants to be so much more. Especially as she comes to realize she isn't actually the monster in this story. Humans exhibit plenty of that monstrosity for her. This is a brutal tale of love and horror. Side by side, these elements make the story unputdownable due to the candor aimed at humanity's tendency for atrocious acts through the lens of someone who is not human. With the recent rise of fascism and normalization of violence against marginalized groups, even though it’s a WWII story it’s as timely as ever.
I don't read too many WWII books, but when I do, when possible, I make sure to support Jewish authors in their efforts to gain back control of their narrative - their history. I also really appreciated the author's note at the beginning of the book.
I don't read too many WWII books, but when I do, when possible, I make sure to support Jewish authors in their efforts to gain back control of their narrative - their history. I also really appreciated the author's note at the beginning of the book.