By Shantell Powell
Content warning: violent death, murder, grief, sexual assault, anti-Semitism
Rena Rossner is a literary agent with an MA in history, living in Israel. She is inspired by the stories of her ancestors from Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Hungary, and Romania. She has a keen interest in folklore and fairy tales and is the author of The Sisters of the Winter Wood and Eating the Bible. Her newest novel, The Light of the Midnight Stars, is a historical fantasy with strong roots in Judaism and storytelling. Jewish folklore, the Torah, and kabbalistic teachings make up the skeleton of this book. Its universe is rich with shapeshifters, miracle workers, voivodes, mystics, and celestial beings. The writing is lyrical, and everyone has stories to tell. Some of the stories feel familiar to me from my knowledge of the Old Testament, but other ancient stories are new to me because I was not raised in the Jewish tradition. I expect people versed in those traditions will get much more out of this book than I did. I enjoyed being introduced to Jewish religious practices and customs. If you are into queer Jewish fairy tales with female protagonists, this is the book for you.
The protagonists are Hannah, Sarah, and Levana, the three daughters of the great Rabbi Isaac Solomonar and his wife Esther. They are descendants of the mystical tradition of King Solomon and they live in an increasingly anti-Semitic world. The story takes place in fifteenth-century Hungary when a strange black mist—a sentient sort of evil—spreads its way across Europe and is blamed upon the Jews. I interpret the mist as symbolic of the bubonic plague and xenophobia.
The book changes points of view between the three Orthodox sisters. Hannah, Sarah, and Levana each have their own sacred magical talents, personal tragedies, and complicated relationships with the rest of their family. When intense persecution forces them all into hiding, they escape to a more religiously tolerant area in Wallachia and pose as Christians.
The book follows the themes of love, loss, trauma, and resilience in a time when it was dangerous to display one’s heritage. The overarching mood is oppressive and foreboding, but the text is not without hope. The Light of the Midnight Stars shows the lengths the young women must go to ensure their family’s survival.
I found the plot sometimes difficult to follow. I got lost in some of the stories and needed to flip back a few pages to re-centre myself. If you are at ease with intricate fantasy plotlines, this shouldn’t be a problem for you. If you like your stories straightforward, you may find this book challenging.
My biggest fault with the book is not with the content or the story but with one of the editing choices. Whenever the text is not written in English, the words in Jewish languages are italicised. I think this is an unfortunate practice which centres English as the norm and portrays other languages as curiosities.
This book will appeal to fans of Naomi Novik, Madeline Miller, or Jordanna Max Brodsky.
Thank you, Hachette Book Group, for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.