The Slaughterman’s Daughter
The Avenging of Mende Speismann by the Hand of Her Sister Fanny
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4.6 • 7 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
An epic historical adventure story set in a Jewish shtetl during the final years of the Russian Empire, The Slaughterman’s Daughter follows Fanny Keismann on her quest to avenge her sister’s honour.
When Fanny Keismann turns ten, her father, Grodno’s ritual slaughterer, gives her a knife, and she soon develops a talent for her father’s trade. But in nineteenth-century Russia, ritual slaughter does not befit a wife and mother, so when it comes time to marry and raise a family, Fanny abandons her work and devotes herself to raising her five children.
When Fanny’s older sister’s husband disappears, Fanny leaves her own family and sets out for the great city of Minsk in search of her wayward brother-in-law, armed with her old knife and accompanied by Zizek Bershov, who is either a sly rogue or an idiot. Fanny’s mission to help her sister turns into a misadventure that threatens the foundations of the Russian Empire. What began as a family matter in Motol, a peripheral Jewish settlement, breaks the bounds of the shtetl, pits the police against the Czar’s army, and upsets the political and social order they all live in.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Israeli author Yaniv Iczkovits’ newly translated novel is a sprawling historical epic anchored by a badass, knife-wielding heroine. In 19th-century czarist Russia, Fanny Keismann leaves her Jewish shtetl one night to search for her sister’s missing husband. Fanny’s departure is a shock to everyone—especially her own husband and children—but the adventure that awaits her is extraordinary. Iczkovits’ highly textured descriptions of village life, the roughneck Russian army, and the ragtag collection of allies Fanny meets along the way got us completely wrapped up in the story. We were delighted by every new character who popped up during Fanny’s odyssey, and impressed by the novel’s clever explorations of old-world feminism, the kind that existed before there was even a word for it. With a quirky, wry sense of humour that’s reminiscent of Jonathan Safran Foer’s Everything Is Illuminated, The Slaughterman’s Daughter will take you on a strange and beautiful journey.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Israeli philosopher and novelist Iczkovits's delightfully expansive tale (after Adam and Sophie), a Jewish woman goes to great lengths to help her older sister in 1894 Russia. Mende and her children have been abandoned by her husband, Zvi-Meir, in the town of Motal. Mende's younger sister, Fanny, also a wife and mother, travels to Minsk, where Zvi-Meir has gone, to convince him to sign a writ of divorce so Mende can move on with her life. Fanny's traveling companion is taciturn boatman Zizek Breshov. Their travels take a turn when a family of bandits tries to rob them. Fanny, trained in animal butchery by her slaughterman father, expertly wields the knife she keeps strapped to her leg, and they leave the family dead on the road. Investigating the murder, imperial secret police colonel Piotr Novak disguises himself as a Jew to find out more about his suspects, Fanny and Zizek. Iczkovits elevates this cat-and-mouse story into a sweeping narrative with trips down side roads that reveal the riveting backstories of major and minor characters. His observations about human nature, family dynamics, and the interplay between religion and politics come across as wise but never didactic. Ever entertaining, Iczkovits's lively, transportive picaresque takes readers on a memorable ride.
