Wrath Becomes Her

A golem created by a grieving father sets out to combat Nazis in this alluring fantasy horror novel by Polydoros (The Bone Weaver). In 1943 Lithuania, Jewish WWI veteran Ezra uses forbidden magic and parts of his teenage Nazi-resister daughter Chaya’s corpse to build Vera, a golem meant to avenge her death. When Ezra disappears and the family hiding him and Vera is murdered, Vera flees into the woods and encounters Akiva, Chaya’s comrade and lover. After murdering the man who killed Chaya, Vera searches for Ezra. She suspects that the answers to his whereabouts lie within the so-called archive, a compilation of Jewish texts currently guarded by Nazi forces. With the help of other resisters and partisan fighters, Akiva and Vera smuggle themselves into the Vilna ghetto, where they learn that the Nazis are seeking Jewish writings relating to ancient magic. Though Vera doesn’t understand their motive, when she realizes that the Nazis are shipping a powerful weapon to the area, she hatches a dangerous plan to intercept it and turn the tide of the war. Without sacrificing emotional impact or contemporary resonance, Polydoros implements frequently explored Jewish lore surrounding golems with a fresh and inventive angle. Relentlessly disconcerting ambiance adds to the novel’s eerie feel, making for an engrossing alternate history adventure. Ages 14–up. Agent: Sam Farkas, Jill Grinberg Literary Management. (Oct.)