Scan barcode
s_ierraclark's review
5.0
literally my fav book ever. i've read it upwards of 15x in the last two years. its queer, its jewish, set during the first chicago worlds fair, murder mystery, ghosts? what more could you want.
tayface43's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.5
I really liked this book, I listened to it over audiobook (which I highly recommend). I thought it was very mysterious and had me on the edge of my seats at some points. It also felt realistic in a lot of ways, and I enjoyed being able to learn a bit about this culture/the historical time period (since I know the author made an effort to weave in historical events and the prejudices at this time).
I would have given it a 5 star rating, however I found it very tedious to finish; usually it only takes me a few days to finish an audiobook, but this one took at least a week. I'm not really sure why it felt that way, I think maybe because a lot of the book is kind of a slow burn reveal and it is not very fast paced. I found myself not having that same addictive drive that I do to read some books, which dampened my experience a little.
All things considered it was a good book, just hard to get through at points.
I would have given it a 5 star rating, however I found it very tedious to finish; usually it only takes me a few days to finish an audiobook, but this one took at least a week. I'm not really sure why it felt that way, I think maybe because a lot of the book is kind of a slow burn reveal and it is not very fast paced. I found myself not having that same addictive drive that I do to read some books, which dampened my experience a little.
All things considered it was a good book, just hard to get through at points.
hannahhbic's review
5.0
Content warnings: child sexual abuse, violence, gore, antisemitism, racism
This book is gay af, mysterious, and atmospheric to the core. I adored it. It's not always an easy thing to read but it is an important story. Jewish main characters and Jewish stories are sorely needed, even in 2021.
My only criticisms are that 1) I feel like it could have been a bit shorter and 2) I probably would have enjoyed the audiobook version better because there are phrases in Yiddish, German, Russian, and Romanian that would translate better in my own head that way.
Thank you to NetGalley for a preview copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book is gay af, mysterious, and atmospheric to the core. I adored it. It's not always an easy thing to read but it is an important story. Jewish main characters and Jewish stories are sorely needed, even in 2021.
My only criticisms are that 1) I feel like it could have been a bit shorter and 2) I probably would have enjoyed the audiobook version better because there are phrases in Yiddish, German, Russian, and Romanian that would translate better in my own head that way.
Thank you to NetGalley for a preview copy in exchange for an honest review.
weweresotired's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
This was a bit slow to start for me but once I got about 60% of the way through, the action really picks up and it became really difficult to put down. Despite the slow start for me, this was overall really engaging and I loved that it was a narrative voice that we don't get to see much of. I appreciated the deep commitment to showing a culture that's underrepresented in YA, and showing it in such a rich, full way. The author also weaves in real-life events (the Chicago World's Fair and the Cold Storage Fire of 1893, the latter of which I didn't know anything about before) and educates the reader very matter-of-factly on what life was like during that time. This book is dark/violent and frequently deals with very heavy topics, including a sexual assault and lot of on-the-page antisemitism, so reader beware.
vaporization's review
4.0
I don't really know what I was expecting out of this but it definitely exceeded my expectations. I guess because it's YA which I have become quite jaded with, but it doesn't have the immaturity that I've come to loathe with a lot of YA. It's a very mature, very serious and dark book that covers some very heavy topics. I loved the historical parts and Jewish cultural aspects, a lot of which were new to me.
4.5
4.5
ndizz87's review
5.0
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!
josiegreenwood's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bargainbinkazbrekker's review against another edition
4.25
A dark, rage filled, beauty of a novel that’s balanced with moments of hope and young queer love. Even though I felt the pacing was a bit slow and there were some missed opportunities for characterization that would lead to a bigger emotional impact, I still really liked the story as a whole. Those smaller issues didn’t detract from the story for me.
quinn_cvy's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was a beautiful story wrapped into an exciting plot. I really loved the depth of Jewish culture. It didn’t scream YA novel, which I think is very impressive. Some of the character interactions and development could have been stronger, but I wholly enjoyed the book.