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judifer's review
2.0
**Spoilers included **
I really wanted to like this book, as I was curious to see how the fascinating mythology of the golem would be incorporated into a modern-day YA novel. Recognizing that I'm older than the target demographic, the book still grabbed my attention at first and I was still able to appreciate the larger themes behind the teen angst, and look past some editing glitches, e.g. how the hebrew words were written from left to right instead of right to left.
As the story moved on, I started to suspect what the ultimate traumatic event would be, but hoped that I would be wrong so kept reading. With just a handful of pages left, I couldn't tell how everything was going to be wrapped up since the big reveal still hadn't occurred. I was deeply disappointed when my suspicions were proven right.
Yet again the trope of rape was used as a plot tool. While statistically it is extremely likely for a girl under 18 in Canada to experience some form of sexual assault, this has become a tired and lazy trope used by authors, essentially saying that rape is the very worst thing that could ever happen to a girl/woman in a book as a Thing To Overcome. That in this case it was revealed, recognized, accepted, and all cleansed by falling rain in the few final pages felt disrespectful to every person who has gone through this type of traumatic event.
I feel like the story could have been much richer by not including this element, as there were so many other themes to dig into and expand upon, such as the parent/child relationship, religious and spiritual questioning, the impacts of a patriarchal religion upon both genders, and social disconnection.
The way antisemitism was meshed with the sexual violence felt like it was being used for shock value. These two concepts are certainly not mutually exclusive, but in this case seemed like the author was trying to address too many issues at once which ended up feeling clumsy. There were certainly interesting parts to the story, and I love to see mythology weaved into narratives, but unfortunately, overall, this didn't work for me.
I really wanted to like this book, as I was curious to see how the fascinating mythology of the golem would be incorporated into a modern-day YA novel. Recognizing that I'm older than the target demographic, the book still grabbed my attention at first and I was still able to appreciate the larger themes behind the teen angst, and look past some editing glitches, e.g. how the hebrew words were written from left to right instead of right to left.
As the story moved on, I started to suspect what the ultimate traumatic event would be, but hoped that I would be wrong so kept reading. With just a handful of pages left, I couldn't tell how everything was going to be wrapped up since the big reveal still hadn't occurred. I was deeply disappointed when my suspicions were proven right.
Yet again the trope of rape was used as a plot tool. While statistically it is extremely likely for a girl under 18 in Canada to experience some form of sexual assault, this has become a tired and lazy trope used by authors, essentially saying that rape is the very worst thing that could ever happen to a girl/woman in a book as a Thing To Overcome. That in this case it was revealed, recognized, accepted, and all cleansed by falling rain in the few final pages felt disrespectful to every person who has gone through this type of traumatic event.
I feel like the story could have been much richer by not including this element, as there were so many other themes to dig into and expand upon, such as the parent/child relationship, religious and spiritual questioning, the impacts of a patriarchal religion upon both genders, and social disconnection.
The way antisemitism was meshed with the sexual violence felt like it was being used for shock value. These two concepts are certainly not mutually exclusive, but in this case seemed like the author was trying to address too many issues at once which ended up feeling clumsy. There were certainly interesting parts to the story, and I love to see mythology weaved into narratives, but unfortunately, overall, this didn't work for me.
maryleong's review
3.0
Triggers: religious trauma, rape, sexual assault
(3.5/5 rounded down for the ending) A blend of magic realism and religious horror, this was an eerie, unnerving take on the way societal and religious institutions leave girls and women choking and drowning – metaphorically and literally.
Raised by an Orthodox Jewish father, Rebecca Waldmann's sheltered existence dissipates as the pair move from Toronto to Edmonton. Going from Jewish day school to public school, Rebecca is confronted with culture shock and anti-Semitism from her classmates. When she discovers that her father has been keeping a secret from her, Rebecca starts to rebel in small ways: dressing like a normal teenager, going to sports games, having secular friends.
However, her transformation doesn't stop there. Under the cover of dark, Rebecca is turning into a golem – a creature of mud brought to life by its human master, a silent helper for someone else's purposes. Her descent into voicelessness is reflective of her father's inability to hear her, to truly listen to her. Becoming a feral creature of dust and mud, in so many ways, was the only way Rebecca could break out of the shell that had been thrust upon her.
Unfortunately, the ending was a bust for me. I'm so sick of rape and sexual assault being used as a plot device for character growth. It's tired, it's uncreative, and cheapens what could have been an incredibly strong novel on religious trauma and institutionalized misogyny all on its own.
(3.5/5 rounded down for the ending) A blend of magic realism and religious horror, this was an eerie, unnerving take on the way societal and religious institutions leave girls and women choking and drowning – metaphorically and literally.
Raised by an Orthodox Jewish father, Rebecca Waldmann's sheltered existence dissipates as the pair move from Toronto to Edmonton. Going from Jewish day school to public school, Rebecca is confronted with culture shock and anti-Semitism from her classmates. When she discovers that her father has been keeping a secret from her, Rebecca starts to rebel in small ways: dressing like a normal teenager, going to sports games, having secular friends.
However, her transformation doesn't stop there. Under the cover of dark, Rebecca is turning into a golem – a creature of mud brought to life by its human master, a silent helper for someone else's purposes. Her descent into voicelessness is reflective of her father's inability to hear her, to truly listen to her. Becoming a feral creature of dust and mud, in so many ways, was the only way Rebecca could break out of the shell that had been thrust upon her.
Unfortunately, the ending was a bust for me. I'm so sick of rape and sexual assault being used as a plot device for character growth. It's tired, it's uncreative, and cheapens what could have been an incredibly strong novel on religious trauma and institutionalized misogyny all on its own.
m1r_1_am's review
2.75
The narrative voice stood out as the writing was thoughtful and poetic. However the going back and forth from herself and her 'other form' different chapters was a little jarring. Her character was in-depth and her interactions with other characters felt realistic. The plot itself could have been explored more. for example when the arranged marriage happened it came out of the blue wich made sense, as it came out of the blue for the character, I dont think the author explored the aftermath for a long enough time to have the protagonists feelings resonate with the reader. Furthermore the rape came out of nowhere and again, I wish the aftermath had been explored more text
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Rape
rivkachava's review
I tried but I literally have nothing positive to say about this book. It has actual mistakes about Jewish practice, all the Hebrew is written in the wrong direction and it just oozes anti-orthodox sentiment that it's borderline antisemitic. The entire Golem plotline is a mess, and the antisemitism and attack on Rebecca are gratuitous and feel like they were just there to serve the "being Jewish is the wrong choice" message.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Racial slurs, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Sexual assault
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