Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of money lenders. But her father has stopped trying to collect debts. The towns people are not nice to him - both because of their debts and because he is Jewish.
When Miryem's mother gets ill, she decides to start collecting the money owed. She will not let people off the hook, adding interest for any missed payments. And as her family can afford food and fire wood again, her mother starts to recover.
Wanda has been hired by Miryem to help out at her house to help pay off her father's debt. For each day, Wanda lowers her fathers debt and earns money for herself. Money she plans to use to run away with her brothers once they have enough.
Once Miryem starts to do well, the Staryk - fey creatures of ice who live in the forest, come looking for her. A Staryk man gives her a bag of silver and tells her to turn it into gold. If she fails, she is sure she will be killed. If she succeeds, she is trapped into a bargain with a dangerous, magical being.
Novik has written an amazing book that centers around 3 women - all in a web caused by Miryem's desire to save her family. Buy this book today! You will reread it like a great fairy tale. And it is exciting to see a Jewish character in a great fantasy book.
Novik, Naomi. (2018). Spinning Silver. New York: DelRey.
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