This was a phenomenal book.
A loose retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale, the book follows three women though other point of views are heard from as well. The setting takes place in two main locations: a little town with hardly a name, Pakel or Pavys depending on who you ask; and the city Vysnia. It's a cold world, where winter dominates most of the year and the people cower from the Staryk, a fae like people from another world and leave terror in their wake.
The story starts off with Miryem, the daughter of a Jewish moneylender who is not as good at at collecting as he is at lending. As her families poverty grows, Miryem takes it upon herself to start collecting on the debts and she finds that she's good at it. So good, that when the Staryk overhear a careless boast from Miryem, about turning silver into gold, she finds herself with the unwanted attention of the Staryk king.
I listened to the audio, and I think that really added to the experience overall. The narrator was Lisa Flanagan and I think she did a fantastic job conveying each character as an individual, and I rarely got confused by a change in Point of View. Hearing the story added to the overall ambiance for me.
The world building in this was fantastic. As a reader, I really got a sense of the people and places. Everything was familiar enough to picture, but was still within it's own world.
The book has a primarily melancholic and wistful tone. Which works well when considering the plot and physical landscape of the book. There's a feeling of a growing desperation, and a deep-seated bitterness that matches the temperature of the world.
I loved that this book was told from multiple female voices, first and foremost being Miryem. I loved that all the women met, and interacted with each other, and benefited from those interactions.
I really loved the use of Judaism, and how the practice and faith added to the overall magic of the world. While the book depicted prejudice against Jews and Judaism, it never felt predatory.
I think I liked this one more than Uprooted, but for me that's because Spinning Silver had a more satisfying ending, or at least I connected with it better. I felt that each of the characters had an arc that felt benefitted from each of their endings.
Some of the major themes were paying debts, as stated on the first page, but it felt like more than that. There was also aspects of faith, family, community, choices, and agency.
