Reviews with content warning for Vomit - Wrath Becomes Her

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Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros

3 reviews

zydecovivo's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The review for this book shows why it’s better to wait and digest a book before reviewing it. I discovered this book through a collection of Jewish YA made by my library on Libby. The title itself deserves an A+ because I want it on my tombstone. However, we all know books are more than their titles.

The story follows a golem named Vera who was created during WWII by a Jewish man (named Ezra) grieving his daughter’s death. However, Vera is not a normal golem. She was made with pieces of Ezra’s daughter, Chaya. Vera still contains some of Chaya’s memories and struggles to separate who she is now from the person who came before her. However, Ezra also imbued her with a need for vengeance against the people who murdered Chaya and the Nazis in general.

The concept of the novel is intriguing to me as an enjoyer of paranormal stories. I was already aware of golems and a few folk tales they feature in, but this is a new perspective. It is also very plausible, at least to me as an outsider, that Jewish people enduring the Holocaust alongside the war would’ve searched for ways to create a golem to fight on their behalf. Vera’s inner turmoil is the conflict I empathized with the most and found the most interesting. Discovering who you are is difficult enough, but imagine trying to do it with someone else’s memories in your head and everyone around you calling you a monster.

Some reviews mentioned the plot essentially being characters running from one place to the next, which is a valid criticism. I found the overall plot somewhat predictable, and I don’t think Vera learned all the necessary lessons she needed to by the end of the novel. The ending does not feel resolved to me. This may be the beginning of a series, but it could have been a stand-alone with 20 fewer pages or 50-100 more.

When I initially finished the book, I rated it 4.5 stars. However, after digesting and reflecting, I think it deserves more of a 3.75. I still think the story itself is unique, but its resolution is missing and, consequently, I will not be coming back to it without a sequel. I also feel like there were layers to the story I may be missing as someone who is not Jewish or with Jewish ancestry. If any Jewish readers are willing to share, I would appreciate some cultural thoughts on the ethics & creation of golems and how vengeance is viewed, even in extreme circumstances.

Content Warnings

ezwolf's review

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dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I have a lot emotions about this book. Starting first with the letter from the author:

"The first books I read featuring Jewish characters were Holocaust books. Desperate to see myself reflected on the page, I clung to those crumbs of representation. At least, until the fourth grade, when my class read a Holocaust book and everyone in the room turned to look at me - the only Jewish student. That was one of the first times I sensed I didn't quite belong."

Without even having started the book I was already so attached. This experience of otherness I know other Jews experienced as children. Since starting to read again, I've enthusiastically devoured any books with Jewish characters that don't focus on the Holocaust simply those books were all I had as a child and reading them now has only gotten harder.

There's also the dedication, "Dedicated to every reader who's ever wanted to punch a Nazi." which this book very much embodies. Vera punches so many Nazis and it is so satisfying. This story doesn't shy away from the horrors of the Holocaust, but it has a strong focus is on vengeance and retribution in a way that I loved. I could have read another 300 pages of Vera just crushing Nazis with her bare hands.

I also have very strong feelings about the choice to name Ezra's daughter Chaya, a name that means life, and with her death, Ezra brought Vera to life.

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

Content Warnings

starrysteph's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

4.75

This story has sunk deep into my flesh. Aden Polydoros, you’ve done it again.

Vera was created to destroy. She’s a golem, crafted with ancient and shameful magic by a grieving Jewish father in his daughter Chaya’s image. Chaya was murdered during an act of resistance against the Nazis, and Vera is now commanded to enact vengeance.

But Vera was also imbued with Chaya’s essence, with scatterings of her memories. She is committed to noble violence, but can’t help but question her existence. Then she meets Akiva - Chaya’s love - and feels torn between her vengeance and her new ruminations about humanity.

As Vera’s journey further blurs the line between human and monster, she must discover her purpose and decide what exactly is worth fighting for.

Wrath Becomes Her is about necessary desecrations. It’s about separating yourself from your actions of survival, moments of quiet defiance, and agonizing about what will be left behind.

Truth is the word on Vera’s forehead that brings the golem to life, and her search for the truth of her existence torments her. She constantly asks: who am I? What does it mean to be?

She understands herself to be a monster - and her creator views her as such - but she quickly starts to wonder about the capacity for monstrosity within all of us. Vera sees people and golems as blank slates, and the acts of violence committed by the Nazis go beyond her perceived sin of existence.

She also witnesses the dehumanization of the people that surround her: the cruelest soldiers view their victims as less-than-human, but so do the bystanders. The Jewish people are simply necessary sacrifices for the safety of the whole town. By not speaking up, by not listening or caring, these impartial observers are in truth active causers of harm.

And for those fighting alongside Vera? Akiva shuts everything else down, not allowing himself to feel or hope or visualize a future. Vera expresses a desire to have been created without emotions, so she could simply do what needs to be done without pain. She witnesses Akiva shatter bit by bit; that’s the cost of separating himself from his feelings.

Vera is memory. Vera is memorial. She is defiance in both small and large ways. She is honoring culture and tradition and keeping spirits aflame. She is a physicalization of her religion and her community.

At times, the writing is a wee bit formulaic and repetitive (especially in the middle sections). I forgave this, because the philosophizing was SO good and I was SO invested in Vera’s journey.

Wrath Becomes Her asks: what is the best way to honor life? Is destruction in someone’s name - even when the cause feels hopeless - honoring them? I’m not sure. But I’ll be pondering.

And yeah, there’s lots of Nazi punching (as promised).

CW: murder, antisemitism (Nazis), death (child), gore, body horror, vomit, genocide, war, violence

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(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)

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