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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
This is a dark, gorgeous novel chock full of Jewish history and tradition set against the backdrop of the 1893 Chicago World Fair. I've never been to Chicago, let alone Chicago at the turn of the 19th century, but Aden Polydoros brings the city to life in all of its grit, ugliness, and tenacious beauty. I could smell the stink of the factories, and feel the icy chill blowing off Lake Michigan. Polydoros is a phenomenal prose writer: I loved his ability to eerily blend reality and dream as Yakov's memories begin to bleed into Alter's waking life following his murder.
More importantly, this novel spoke to me deeply as the half-Jewish descendent of Lithuanian Jewish immigrants. Though my father's Orthodox family set up in Philidelphia, not Chicago, the awful anti-semitism and difficult transition that Alter and his friends suffer echo a familiar tone passed down through our histories. Still, I loved that this novel was ultimately a beautiful homage to Jewish religion and culture, uplifting the power of faith and tradition as much as it draws attention to the vast history of atrocities visited upon the Jewish people. Even better, it was a touching take on the intersection between Judaism and queerness. Frankie in particular had several excellent lines highlighting how religion doesn't have to exist in opposition to loving who you choose. The characters were brilliant: Frankie, Alter, and Raizel, and the plot meaningful and intriguing.
To me, this novel represents the very peak of the YA genre, emphasizing that authors don't have to pull punches on content and complexity to create relatable characters speaking to universal teenage struggles of identity, trust, and growing up.
More importantly, this novel spoke to me deeply as the half-Jewish descendent of Lithuanian Jewish immigrants. Though my father's Orthodox family set up in Philidelphia, not Chicago, the awful anti-semitism and difficult transition that Alter and his friends suffer echo a familiar tone passed down through our histories. Still, I loved that this novel was ultimately a beautiful homage to Jewish religion and culture, uplifting the power of faith and tradition as much as it draws attention to the vast history of atrocities visited upon the Jewish people. Even better, it was a touching take on the intersection between Judaism and queerness. Frankie in particular had several excellent lines highlighting how religion doesn't have to exist in opposition to loving who you choose. The characters were brilliant: Frankie, Alter, and Raizel, and the plot meaningful and intriguing.
To me, this novel represents the very peak of the YA genre, emphasizing that authors don't have to pull punches on content and complexity to create relatable characters speaking to universal teenage struggles of identity, trust, and growing up.
God. What a book! I just want to say I appreciate so much the feminist, queer, Jewish, progressive point of view of this story. I’m reading a lot of Jewish books lately and I can say that this one felt so authentic to me in many many ways. My heart is full even amidst all the heartbreaks. What a tremendous novel.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The City Beautiful follows Alter, a young Jewish man working to try and bring his mother and sisters to America when his close friend is murdered and Alter is thrown into solving the mystery of who murdered Yakov as well as other Jewish young men.
One of the things I think this book does so well is mix real historical settings along with Jewish mythology. It also delves into (one of) the ways death is treated in Jewish culture. The antisemitism that Alter experiences and danger of being visibly Jewish is something that can be related to even now.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for queer Jewish representation!
Also I greatly appreciate that Aden Polydoros posts content warnings on his website for each of his books. I've copied a link to the ones specifically for this book below.
https://adenpolydoros.com/the-city-beautiful
One of the things I think this book does so well is mix real historical settings along with Jewish mythology. It also delves into (one of) the ways death is treated in Jewish culture. The antisemitism that Alter experiences and danger of being visibly Jewish is something that can be related to even now.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for queer Jewish representation!
Also I greatly appreciate that Aden Polydoros posts content warnings on his website for each of his books. I've copied a link to the ones specifically for this book below.
https://adenpolydoros.com/the-city-beautiful
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Classism
Moderate: Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, Alcohol
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"There had always been an unspoken presumption that I must lay myself bare for someone else’s pity, like some strange organism that could only be understood by splitting it down the middle and rooting through its entrails."
This wasn't as engaging as I had hoped, and I found myself drifting away from the story. I really loved the author's intention behind creating this story, and the information and mythology in it was my favorite part. The plot and characters didn't appeal to me as much and the pacing felt off.
This wasn't as engaging as I had hoped, and I found myself drifting away from the story. I really loved the author's intention behind creating this story, and the information and mythology in it was my favorite part. The plot and characters didn't appeal to me as much and the pacing felt off.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked the attention to the different dialects of Yiddish and different shades of culture and language that made up the community. Also I love a world's fair as a backdrop.
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Violence, Antisemitism, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm
Minor: Alcohol
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It’s 1893 in Chicago, and on one side of town, pro-worker movements are starting to stand up to their factory bosses, while on the other, the well-to-do are enjoying the glitz and spectacle of The World’s Fair. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the city, Alter, a Romanian Jewish immigrant, is trying to put his past behind him by keeping himself busy in his work, saving money to bring his family over. But when his best friend and roommate Yakov is the latest victim in a string of murdered Jewish boys in the city, Alter begins to investigate. But grief is a fickle thing, and in order for him to move forward, he must look inward and back to what he has been running from.
This might just be my new favourite YA novel! Polydoros is so great at establishing a sense of place. The city really came to life, and the world building was coloured in to the edges with details about the plight of the worker, discussions of anarchism and some immigrant resistance to it, and Jewish/Yiddish language and culture. Online, this book isn’t listed as horror but as ‘dark fantasy’, but boy was this story nightmarish. Aside from surviving the everyday antisemitism that these characters faced, the paranormal elements were pretty damn creepy, and at times so hallucinatory that the unreal blurred seamlessly into reality.
Polydoros also treated his characters with such tenderness. They were so well-written and real, and I really loved the gay romantic subplot. The themes were expertly woven into the plot and character arcs, and the stakes kept getting higher and higher all the way to the end.
Given the story is about finding a serial killer who’s murdering Jews, obviously there’s a lot of Jewish trauma in this book, including a scene with antisemitic slurs. There’s also a brief mention of sexual assault. But despite how dark this book can get, there’s also the hope of overcoming, and the love found in community and looking out for each other. I highly recommend this one!
This might just be my new favourite YA novel! Polydoros is so great at establishing a sense of place. The city really came to life, and the world building was coloured in to the edges with details about the plight of the worker, discussions of anarchism and some immigrant resistance to it, and Jewish/Yiddish language and culture. Online, this book isn’t listed as horror but as ‘dark fantasy’, but boy was this story nightmarish. Aside from surviving the everyday antisemitism that these characters faced, the paranormal elements were pretty damn creepy, and at times so hallucinatory that the unreal blurred seamlessly into reality.
Polydoros also treated his characters with such tenderness. They were so well-written and real, and I really loved the gay romantic subplot. The themes were expertly woven into the plot and character arcs, and the stakes kept getting higher and higher all the way to the end.
Given the story is about finding a serial killer who’s murdering Jews, obviously there’s a lot of Jewish trauma in this book, including a scene with antisemitic slurs. There’s also a brief mention of sexual assault. But despite how dark this book can get, there’s also the hope of overcoming, and the love found in community and looking out for each other. I highly recommend this one!