Odessa

Author: Gabrielle Sher

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Odessa by Gabrielle Sher
this took me forever.... it was horror but sad sad deep horror... heavy

Reflection Knowing that this is a gothic horror novel now, I think I can justify the length and wordiness. Not unlike Frankesntein or Jane Eyre, this book takes its time. It allows you to sit in the themes and ideas that are paired within it, and for most of the book, I think that is justified.

My analysis of this book will be limited for two reasons: (1) I am not Jewish, nor have I ever practiced Judaism, and although I was raised religious and have a great admiration for religion when it is not oppressing people, I cannot relate or fully understand the history or trauma that someone who practices Judaism might be able to bring to discussion here. There is a limitation for me in this, but I value that. Just as when I tell my students about different perspectives of reading, I am sure someone with more knowledge and personal attachment to the text might be able to add a better commentary on this text.

My second (2) limitation is that for maybe 75% of this book, I have been struggling with the symtpoms of Serotonin Syndrome, not so badly that I have had to go to the hospital, but so badly that I have felt out of comission for almost two weeks. This annoys me and leaves me feeling empty and specifically has existed as a headache in many parts of my brain.

I think my notes are worth reading and rereading here as well, as I went through some ideas and hope to come back to further analyse my own notes.

these are notesss - there may be some things i have to research in lieu of lack of knowledge about the time period - i also didnt realize this was historical horror which i think has put me off this book thus far - red imagery!!!! - were truly dancing around what the men are up to in this text-- clear gender roles at play though (duh) - this takes place at vaguely the same time as i am reading it so thats sick - this story has to do with golems which i believe are specific to jewish religious folklore? - "A golem is a creature formed out of a lifeless substance such as dust or earth that is brought to life by ritual incantations and sequences of Hebrew letters. The golem, brought into being by a human creator, becomes a helper, a companion, or a rescuer of an imperiled Jewish community. In many golem stories, the creature runs amok and the golem itself becomes a threat to its creator." - [Jewish Museum Berlin](https://www.jmberlin.de/en/topic-golem) - https://youtu.be/O8xAUm8rPaQ - https://www.jmberlin.de/en/golem-from-mysticism-to-minecraft

red	- Yetta had been obsessed with the color red, - a berry, a leaf, one of her own baby teeth still stained with blood. - the long white beard stained red with blood. - like a smear of lamb’s blood across her door, a protective spell. She wanted to wear it like a necklace. - It felt like the same thing, over and over again, the autumn flora withering to make room for death, the long sleep of winter,
purple/blue	- Eyes closed, purple-veined eyelids. Gray skin. Blue-purple lips. Yetta. - strangely malformed, puffy and purple.
there feels like there is a duality of color here: red is aligned with living and blood and life-- "the autumn flora" but purple is associated with death. sorta focused on this idea that blood can go cold

red

- Yetta had been obsessed with the color red,
- a berry, a leaf, one of her own baby teeth still stained with blood.
- the long white beard stained red with blood.
- like a smear of lamb’s blood across her door, a protective spell. She wanted to wear it like a necklace.
- It felt like the same thing, over and over again, the autumn flora withering to make room for death, the long sleep of winter,

purple/blue

- Eyes closed, purple-veined eyelids. Gray skin. Blue-purple lips. Yetta.
- strangely malformed, puffy and purple.

there feels like there is a duality of color here: red is aligned with living and blood and life-- "the autumn flora" but purple is associated with death. sorta focused on this idea that blood can go cold

coming back wrong and trauma
i originally thought this book would be about doubling but in fact is actually about coming back wrong from a traumatic experience
the original utility of the golem was out of fear-- is this a morally correct way of addressing and acknowledging a threat? specifically a morally wrong threat who is definitively wrong
differentiation as well between gender roles: because the original plan was to have a man be a weapon, the young woman could not possibly be used as such even though she is manifesting physical strength (not that it matters because her dad was like "hey let me bring u back from death as a golem and then not wait around to see if there are any strange developments from that thing i just did without your consent and didnt tell you happened")
“And they will not. But we must be smart, and wait for our moment.” Mendel leaned forward, his voice low. “Do not forget that the golem must obey its creator. You are in control.” this is a lot!!!!!!!
"The sound, the heat, the bright flames, they grew louder, hotter, brighter—until suddenly it was quiet and cold and dark and he was alone." the changing of the seasons is similar here too... the heat and color being supressed into cold blues and death
111-112 description of death as purple and joyous death as red
was excited to maybe have unhinged unreliable perspective but instead was provided with dad who really does not care about his daughter on leui of selfish desires and self designated "saving his people"
comparable to Frankenstein but also oh god i am not in the mood to reread frankenstein. ie yettas father as frankenstein. reminds me of Mary Shelley's Frankenhole which i do want to spend tome analyzing at some point, with the big argument being the theme of man playing god. i think specifically in this context the author does it well, showing Mordechai as an absolute ass who is taking advantage of every situation he can in order to be seen as the best person
turning your own daughter into a weapon is crazy... i feel this resonates with the current political climate in the middle east but i am uncertain if i am someone who can speak on that
a fathers expectations places on the eldest daughter
"whyever would my daughter who i have controlled and neglected this book thus far not tell me about the miracle of her healing??? "
can i empathize with mordechai's desire to have a protection? yes!! can i argue that whatever circumstance would have happened, daughter or not, a golem is maybe not the best idea? like
benyamin is a very interesting character for me to look at-- because i do not necessarily blame him for seeing horror and being afraid and doing something out of character (abandoning yetta). unlike mordechai, benyamin seems redeemable, and if anything, traumatized asf
benyamin is a very interesting character for me to look at-- because i do not necessarily blame him for seeing horror and being afraid and doing something out of character (abandoning yetta). unlike mordechai, benyamin seems redeemable, and if anything, traumatized asf

status: 4. evergreen