When I was in 6th grade, people in my class made Heil Hitler gestures and I told my teacher because I was very upset. Things escalated, as these things do, and soon we were all sitting in a circle sharing why we shouldn’t be like “hooray for killing Jews.” I think I cried when I explained why I was so hurt by what I saw. Since I am Jewish, I explained, people were looking as me as not a person, or a lesser person. I don’t really think those kids comprehended why I was upset. It was just a joke, after all.
Spinning Silver is a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, but instead of the miller’s daughter, the heroine is a Jewish moneylender. Miryem has a lovely, devoted family. She has no problem asking the villagers for money, those who would think she is not a person because she is a Jew. She starts to boast that she can spin gold from the collections she takes, and attracts the attention of the Staryk King, a fey ice creature.
This novel won the 2019 Locus Award for best fantasy novel. It’s beautifully written. There are several strong female characters, including Miryem’s mother, a royal girl named Irinushka, and a village girl named Wanda. I really loved Wanda and her brothers a lot. They have to deal with an abusive father, but they get magical assistance from their dead mother. Wanda has some prejudices against Miryem when she begins working for her, but gradually the family wins her over and she ends up supporting them.
Irina is my least favorite of the girls. I was listening to the audio book, and had to go back and restart her first chapter because she comes up so abruptly I wasn’t sure who she was. She has her own fight against a Chernabog masquerading as a royal who she marries. The end of her fight comes rather abruptly given the stakes that had been building, and I did not find it very satisfying.
But I LOVED Miryem. I could hear my mother flirtingly speaking to my dad in her Brooklyn Jewish accent when Miryem is fighting and flirting with the King. I want to hear more about her, although the end seems pretty solid. Maybe Ms. Novik can set another story in the same world and we can get another glimpse of her. Overall, I enjoyed this so much, although my personal feelings probably elevated the book some. If you haven’t read it yet, you should.