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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism
Moderate: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault
I honestly cannot even with this novel! I feel so extremely lucky to have found this beautiful, heartbreaking, thrilling novel! All the adjectives! To say something trite like, I was blown away, is an understatement. I feel like Bill Hader’s SNL character, Stefon, when I say that this novel has EVERYTHING! Period piece set against the World’s Fair in 1890s Chicago? CHECK! Bodies piling up in a brooding, mysterious thriller that smolders as noir? CHECK! A deep, moving, and complex look at the Jewish, immigrant experience in 19th century America? CHECK! Restless spirits, bodily possession, and dybbuks? CHECK! Undertones of a gay romance and the struggle that brings a deeply religious person at the turn of the century? CHECK! Honestly, I could probably go on, but I’ll stop there. Polydoros put a lot into this book and yet it all works just so perfectly.
This novel is set against the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. Alter Rosen, a newly arrived Jewish immigrant is trying to live an upstanding, religious life, but is barely scraping by. Soon, he and others notice that the bodies of young, male, Jewish street urchins are starting to pile up, but the authorities don’t seem interested. He moves to the center of this mysterious noir when one of his roommates (and crushes) becomes one of the victims and possesses Alter. If Alter can’t solve who the killer is, the spirit of his roommate will consume his soul indefinitely. If he’s going to do this, he’s going to need help. Coming to his aid is Raizel, an anarchist journalist who bucks misogynistic tradition, and Frankie, a former love of Alter’s who makes his living by hustling on the streets, refusing the upstanding life that Alter fled him for. The mystery will take them from the poor corners of Maxwell Street to the shining White City at the World’s Fair. Alter goes on a quest not just to find a killer, but to find himself and where he belongs in his new country, his religion, and his sexuality.
It’s difficult for me to talk about the main character, Alter Rosen, without also talking about Frankie Portnoy, who is in juxtaposition with Alter. I really appreciated Alter’s character. It was difficult to remember sometimes that he was only seventeen years old because he had such an old soul in the way the author portrayed him. He was a character filled with conflicting identities. He wants to uphold his traditional, strict Jewish background while attempting to navigate and resist the changes that America, either unconsciously or consciously, tries to impose on those newly arrived. When he first steps foot in the new country, Alter falls into Frankie’s gang, sees the corruption firsthand, and flees. He then tries to live a good, traditional Jewish life, but with the murders of the boys, he’s pulled back into the reality of what America is. He tries hard to believe that if only he lives an upstanding life, can he gain the life he wants. This is in strict opposition to Frankie, who after going through an extreme trauma, decides the only way to make it in America is to do whatever is necessary in order to survive, however unsavory that may be. This opposition is what forces Alter and Frankie together and apart. They love each other, but their ideologies keep them apart. I mean, the weight these characters carry around this entire novel is absolutely astounding. They’re young, in a new country that’s exploding with ideas and changing values, attempting to solve a string of murders, all while grappling with their religion and sexuality! It’s just done all so perfectly.
On top of all of this, you have the characters struggling with their sexualities in not only a time where it was unheard of, but the added complexity of their strict Jewish religion. I actually really appreciated who subtly wrote it into the story. You can tell at the beginning that Alter feels something for Yakov, but can’t or won’t express it, even to the reader. As they continue to learn more and more about Alter’s relationship with Frankie, we begin to understand the longing Alter has as well as the punishment he’d imposed. He keeps everyone at arm’s length. He tries hard not to feel and throws himself more and more into his religion. Alter feels as though he has to solve the mystery of who killed Yakov, partly because Yakov’s dybbuk will consume his soul if he doesn't, but also because of the love he felt for the boy when he was alive. I would have liked to see a little more rivalry between a jealous Frankie and Yakov. I mean, one the biggest reasons Alter is doing what he’s doing is because of his love for Yakov. However, super minor point, but I think it would have shown us a little more of how strongly Frankie felt for Alter. I also appreciated how Raizel and, in the end, even Alter’s mother, let him know that his sexuality wasn’t something he needed to run from even more. And let’s face it, I’m a sucker for happy endings and did appreciate how Frankie, realizing the only way to be with Alter was to leave the unsavory business behind was sweet and I felt well won.
And I haven’t even gotten into the otherworldly and murderous notes of the story. I really loved the use of the dybbuk, a Jewish folklore creature that is the disembodied human spirit of someone who still has business left on this earth. The way that the author slips Alter into those nightmarish visions that give hints and glimmers into Yakov’s past and who might have killed him. They were absolutely great and gave the story that ethereal, magical, and supernatural quality which only punched up the drama of the murder mystery which bound it all together. The only thing I kept thinking about that the novel didn’t address was, if the dybbuk was real (which it was), how did that impact Alter’s view on his religion. Yes, he takes his religion seriously, but the dybbuk confirms it as reality without a doubt and I never saw how that reality played into Alter’s own views of his past as well as his sexuality. Again, super minor point, but I thought it was an idea worth exploring that never materializes in the novel.
And that’s not all! At the center of this story, really the forward momentum of it all, is a really great murder mystery. It plays out like a smoldering noir mystery in all the best ways. A serial killer is clearly on the loose, but the authorities aren’t willing to do anything about it. They don’t want to sully the pristine image of the White City and the World’s Fair. That, compounded by the fact that it’s happening to Jewish immigrant boys from the street, only those living in the community are the only ones that will come to the rescue. The trio of sleuths, Alter, Frankie, and the irascible Raizel, are absolutely brilliant when working together. The mystery takes them from the mansions of Prairie Avenue to the stinking sewers below the slaughterhouses. Polydoros does a fantastic job of dropping hints and releasing information, bit by bit, so that the reader can actually help solve the mystery while reading. I hate mysteries where there’s no possible way the reader can deduce the ending because it’s overly subtle or obtuse. On top of that there are some great misdirects that don’t feel thrown away because they still substantially move the characterization or plot forward. Again, just another aspect of this novel that knocks it out of the park.
I think the only thing that I really could have used more of was the romance between Alter and Yakov as well as Alter and Frankie. It was probably the most minor point in all the things this novel is doing. I wanted more, especially from Alter and Frankie. They share a few kisses and share a bed, but that’s about it. It didn’t have to be tawdry or explicit, but I wanted more physical interaction between the two, or just sweet moments. I wanted to see Frankie jealous of Alter’s love for Yakov and how that might manifest in the dybbuk that’s possessing Alter. I think that, given the timeframe this is happening, it both makes sense it’s more muted and that at the same time I see opportunities where it could have been greatly enhanced. Again, this didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would because everything else was firing on all cylinders.
At this point, I could keep going on, but I’ll just belabor the point. This was a great period piece, a great murder mystery, an intriguing ghost story, and a pretty decent romance. I thought all of it came together to create one of the best mystery/thriller/noir novels that I’ve read in a very long time. I was engrossed from the beginning to end and really enjoyed that I learned a bit of Yiddish along the way. The subjects it tackles are many: Judaism, identities and their intersectionalities, anti-Semitism, sexuality at the turn of the century, sexism, mysticism…I could just keep going. I am so grateful to have read this book and would absolutely LOVE to find my way back to Alter, Frankie, and Raizel one day. If it doesn’t happen, I’ll always be grateful for the time I spent with this terrific trio!
This novel is set against the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. Alter Rosen, a newly arrived Jewish immigrant is trying to live an upstanding, religious life, but is barely scraping by. Soon, he and others notice that the bodies of young, male, Jewish street urchins are starting to pile up, but the authorities don’t seem interested. He moves to the center of this mysterious noir when one of his roommates (and crushes) becomes one of the victims and possesses Alter. If Alter can’t solve who the killer is, the spirit of his roommate will consume his soul indefinitely. If he’s going to do this, he’s going to need help. Coming to his aid is Raizel, an anarchist journalist who bucks misogynistic tradition, and Frankie, a former love of Alter’s who makes his living by hustling on the streets, refusing the upstanding life that Alter fled him for. The mystery will take them from the poor corners of Maxwell Street to the shining White City at the World’s Fair. Alter goes on a quest not just to find a killer, but to find himself and where he belongs in his new country, his religion, and his sexuality.
It’s difficult for me to talk about the main character, Alter Rosen, without also talking about Frankie Portnoy, who is in juxtaposition with Alter. I really appreciated Alter’s character. It was difficult to remember sometimes that he was only seventeen years old because he had such an old soul in the way the author portrayed him. He was a character filled with conflicting identities. He wants to uphold his traditional, strict Jewish background while attempting to navigate and resist the changes that America, either unconsciously or consciously, tries to impose on those newly arrived. When he first steps foot in the new country, Alter falls into Frankie’s gang, sees the corruption firsthand, and flees. He then tries to live a good, traditional Jewish life, but with the murders of the boys, he’s pulled back into the reality of what America is. He tries hard to believe that if only he lives an upstanding life, can he gain the life he wants. This is in strict opposition to Frankie, who after going through an extreme trauma, decides the only way to make it in America is to do whatever is necessary in order to survive, however unsavory that may be. This opposition is what forces Alter and Frankie together and apart. They love each other, but their ideologies keep them apart. I mean, the weight these characters carry around this entire novel is absolutely astounding. They’re young, in a new country that’s exploding with ideas and changing values, attempting to solve a string of murders, all while grappling with their religion and sexuality! It’s just done all so perfectly.
On top of all of this, you have the characters struggling with their sexualities in not only a time where it was unheard of, but the added complexity of their strict Jewish religion. I actually really appreciated who subtly wrote it into the story. You can tell at the beginning that Alter feels something for Yakov, but can’t or won’t express it, even to the reader. As they continue to learn more and more about Alter’s relationship with Frankie, we begin to understand the longing Alter has as well as the punishment he’d imposed. He keeps everyone at arm’s length. He tries hard not to feel and throws himself more and more into his religion. Alter feels as though he has to solve the mystery of who killed Yakov, partly because Yakov’s dybbuk will consume his soul if he doesn't, but also because of the love he felt for the boy when he was alive. I would have liked to see a little more rivalry between a jealous Frankie and Yakov. I mean, one the biggest reasons Alter is doing what he’s doing is because of his love for Yakov. However, super minor point, but I think it would have shown us a little more of how strongly Frankie felt for Alter. I also appreciated how Raizel and, in the end, even Alter’s mother, let him know that his sexuality wasn’t something he needed to run from even more. And let’s face it, I’m a sucker for happy endings and did appreciate how Frankie, realizing the only way to be with Alter was to leave the unsavory business behind was sweet and I felt well won.
And I haven’t even gotten into the otherworldly and murderous notes of the story. I really loved the use of the dybbuk, a Jewish folklore creature that is the disembodied human spirit of someone who still has business left on this earth. The way that the author slips Alter into those nightmarish visions that give hints and glimmers into Yakov’s past and who might have killed him. They were absolutely great and gave the story that ethereal, magical, and supernatural quality which only punched up the drama of the murder mystery which bound it all together. The only thing I kept thinking about that the novel didn’t address was, if the dybbuk was real (which it was), how did that impact Alter’s view on his religion. Yes, he takes his religion seriously, but the dybbuk confirms it as reality without a doubt and I never saw how that reality played into Alter’s own views of his past as well as his sexuality. Again, super minor point, but I thought it was an idea worth exploring that never materializes in the novel.
And that’s not all! At the center of this story, really the forward momentum of it all, is a really great murder mystery. It plays out like a smoldering noir mystery in all the best ways. A serial killer is clearly on the loose, but the authorities aren’t willing to do anything about it. They don’t want to sully the pristine image of the White City and the World’s Fair. That, compounded by the fact that it’s happening to Jewish immigrant boys from the street, only those living in the community are the only ones that will come to the rescue. The trio of sleuths, Alter, Frankie, and the irascible Raizel, are absolutely brilliant when working together. The mystery takes them from the mansions of Prairie Avenue to the stinking sewers below the slaughterhouses. Polydoros does a fantastic job of dropping hints and releasing information, bit by bit, so that the reader can actually help solve the mystery while reading. I hate mysteries where there’s no possible way the reader can deduce the ending because it’s overly subtle or obtuse. On top of that there are some great misdirects that don’t feel thrown away because they still substantially move the characterization or plot forward. Again, just another aspect of this novel that knocks it out of the park.
I think the only thing that I really could have used more of was the romance between Alter and Yakov as well as Alter and Frankie. It was probably the most minor point in all the things this novel is doing. I wanted more, especially from Alter and Frankie. They share a few kisses and share a bed, but that’s about it. It didn’t have to be tawdry or explicit, but I wanted more physical interaction between the two, or just sweet moments. I wanted to see Frankie jealous of Alter’s love for Yakov and how that might manifest in the dybbuk that’s possessing Alter. I think that, given the timeframe this is happening, it both makes sense it’s more muted and that at the same time I see opportunities where it could have been greatly enhanced. Again, this didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would because everything else was firing on all cylinders.
At this point, I could keep going on, but I’ll just belabor the point. This was a great period piece, a great murder mystery, an intriguing ghost story, and a pretty decent romance. I thought all of it came together to create one of the best mystery/thriller/noir novels that I’ve read in a very long time. I was engrossed from the beginning to end and really enjoyed that I learned a bit of Yiddish along the way. The subjects it tackles are many: Judaism, identities and their intersectionalities, anti-Semitism, sexuality at the turn of the century, sexism, mysticism…I could just keep going. I am so grateful to have read this book and would absolutely LOVE to find my way back to Alter, Frankie, and Raizel one day. If it doesn’t happen, I’ll always be grateful for the time I spent with this terrific trio!
The plot is very interesting but I feel like the author dragged the story line out and used a lot of fillers. Love the book but I feel like it was 100 pages too long. To me the climax was around page 300 but there was still more story to read that lead me down a path of mundane frustration.
The writer seemed more directed towards writing a movie, rather than a book.
The writer seemed more directed towards writing a movie, rather than a book.
4.25/5 Stars
“If something brings us mutual pleasure and harms no one, it’s a virtue.”
Wow, I did not expect this book to be as good (or as dark) as it was. This book has been on my radar since its release—I mean, a historical fantasy set in Chicago during the 1893 World's Fair that follows a Jewish main character as he attempts to track down the killer who murdered his best friend as well as a string of other Jewish boys all the while being possessed by his best friend's dybbuk, sign me up!—and I am so glad that I finally decided to pick it up. I'm already a lover of fantasy books, but combine that with The City Beautiful being a historical fantasy (which I really want to read more of because the history nerd in me adores them so needless to say, I loved the entire atmosphere and history within this book) plus following a murder mystery (I love me a good murder mystery so this entire plot was right up my alley), this book drew me in from the first page and I enjoyed every minute of it. I loved Alter's character and I enjoyed the entire character arc that he underwent throughout the story in which he really grew into his own and had a better sense of his identity by the novel's end. I loved his dedication to his family and friends, which was definitely one of the driving points of the novel and one of my favorite aspects of his character as well. I haven't read enough books with Jewish main characters so I really enjoyed the Jewish culture and folklore that took center stage in this book. Also, as I previously mentioned, this book is dark and features quite a few heavy topics that I was not anticipating going into this book, but which, as other reviewers have said, are on par for the time period so I would recommend checking out the content warnings for this one because this book, while amazing, is definitely not a light-hearted read. Despite enjoying this book for the most part, however, I found the pacing to be a bit off at some points, and the ending to be kind of rushed and I would have liked to have had a bit more closure with regard to certain aspects just because of how quickly things ended up going down. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I will definitely be picking up more of Aden Polydoros' books in the future.
“If something brings us mutual pleasure and harms no one, it’s a virtue.”
Wow, I did not expect this book to be as good (or as dark) as it was. This book has been on my radar since its release—I mean, a historical fantasy set in Chicago during the 1893 World's Fair that follows a Jewish main character as he attempts to track down the killer who murdered his best friend as well as a string of other Jewish boys all the while being possessed by his best friend's dybbuk, sign me up!—and I am so glad that I finally decided to pick it up. I'm already a lover of fantasy books, but combine that with The City Beautiful being a historical fantasy (which I really want to read more of because the history nerd in me adores them so needless to say, I loved the entire atmosphere and history within this book) plus following a murder mystery (I love me a good murder mystery so this entire plot was right up my alley), this book drew me in from the first page and I enjoyed every minute of it. I loved Alter's character and I enjoyed the entire character arc that he underwent throughout the story in which he really grew into his own and had a better sense of his identity by the novel's end. I loved his dedication to his family and friends, which was definitely one of the driving points of the novel and one of my favorite aspects of his character as well. I haven't read enough books with Jewish main characters so I really enjoyed the Jewish culture and folklore that took center stage in this book. Also, as I previously mentioned, this book is dark and features quite a few heavy topics that I was not anticipating going into this book, but which, as other reviewers have said, are on par for the time period so I would recommend checking out the content warnings for this one because this book, while amazing, is definitely not a light-hearted read. Despite enjoying this book for the most part, however, I found the pacing to be a bit off at some points, and the ending to be kind of rushed and I would have liked to have had a bit more closure with regard to certain aspects just because of how quickly things ended up going down. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I will definitely be picking up more of Aden Polydoros' books in the future.
dark
mysterious
tense
YOU GUYS!!! You need to check out this book!! This is a historical fantasy set in Chicago in 1893 following Alter Rosen, a Jewish boi working in America with the dream of being able to bring his sisters and mother to join him. When his best friend Yakov suddenly dies, Alter’s life gets turned upside down and he is now racing against the clock to track down the killer. Alter is possessed by Yakov’s dybbuk and thrown into a world full of dangerous people and deceit, trying to keep himself alive with the help of a boy from his past.
Alter is an incredible character and that mixed in with the backdrop of 1893 Chicago, queer and Jewish representation, and a murder mystery, makes this book so incredibly unique. It is atmospheric and dark and gripping and everything in between. It’s honestly a book you won’t regret picking up!
Alter is an incredible character and that mixed in with the backdrop of 1893 Chicago, queer and Jewish representation, and a murder mystery, makes this book so incredibly unique. It is atmospheric and dark and gripping and everything in between. It’s honestly a book you won’t regret picking up!
4.5/5
Equal parts sinister and endearing, this book was a perfect October read.
Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
Equal parts sinister and endearing, this book was a perfect October read.
Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
I loved this book for multiple reasons. It was a fantastic read—complex, fast-paced, and clearly well-researched. I loved the main character, watching his self develop over the course of the story, find his footing and trusting himself was lovely. The plot was well done; my Jewish grandparents immigrated around the time the book was set to the same area—and I’ve long been interested in the World Fair and HH Holmes. There was clear inspiration from that infamous serial killer and I loved every second of it. I felt like I was immersed in the story—standing beside Alter at every bump in the road, feeling the terror he felt. And, my most favorite bit—it was so refreshing reading a book with a Jewish main character that was not about the Holocaust. I definitely recommend.
I received an eARC copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
I received an eARC copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.