• Odessa by Gabrielle Sher
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Odessa by Gabrielle Sher

$29.00
$29.00
Odessa by Gabrielle Sher

Why We Love It

"A triumphant debut that came from the author’s dissertation, this incredible work draws on Jewish folklore, providing a fresh & feminist take on Frankenstein and the Golem tale. Set in 19th-century Russia, when pogroms (violent mob attacks) were a constant threat for the Jewish communities, the city of Odessa is quietly preparing to fight back. When one of the village’s daughters is killed, her father is not ready to let go... This was one of horror book club’s favorite reads of this year, with gorgeous, lyrical prose, the author’s own family history woven in, and provoking ideas about identity and grief. An absolutely gutting showstopper." -Ashly

More About This Book

Publisher's Description

In a powerfully imagined Russia at the height of the pogroms, a grief-stricken family turn to ancient magic to bring their daughter back from the grave.

Yetta is a bright, quick teenage girl with a wild, searching spirit. Stifled by her mother's anxiety, her father's rules, and the path that's been laid out for her, she craves the kind of freedom she doesn't know the edges of. But her family has reason to be cautious and restrictive. Fear has wrapped itself around their shtetl. Jews are mysteriously disappearing, and there are whispers of an impending Gentile attack. When violence comes to their door, Yetta is killed.

Her father, in his grief, fumbles through his nascent knowledge of ancient texts and old magic to bring her back. By some miracle, Yetta is returned--but although she looks the same, Yetta is not the girl she once was. She knows there is a secret her family is keeping from her. The answer resides, in part, in the monstruous being stalking the villagers and their enemies, lurking in the woods beyond the shtetl, something that may be of her father's making, and a being which has plans of its own.

Product Details

  • ISBN: 9780316595858
  • 288 pages
  • Published by Hachette
  • Published on April 21, 2026