The Ghosts of Rose Hill

Many Diaspora Jews debate about whether or not to return to the lands from which their ancestors fled or were banished. For those that do return, often their trips constitute a “grave tour” because cemeteries are the only thing left of once vibrant Jewish communities. R.M. Romero’s YA novel-in-verse, The Ghosts of Rose Hill, has an interesting twist on this narrative. The protagonist, Ilana, is sent by her parents to spend the summer in Prague with her paternal Aunt in the hopes that she will focus on her studies and give up her desire to to be a violinist. Instead, she finds herself enmeshed with ghosts, an antisemitic water spirit and the very first love of her life.

Ilana’s Aunt lives on the base of a hill that contains a much neglected Jewish cemetery. Since Ilana is Jewish and her Aunt is not, Ilana is allowed to undertake restorations despite her Aunt’s reservations about ghosts. While caring for the gravestones, Ilana does indeed encounter a ghost – a young Jewish boy named Benjamin. However, Benjamin isn’t the only denizen of the spirit world interested in Ilana. A mysterious man with no shadow gifts her a violin so that she can play, despite her parents wishes.

Benjamin and Ilana fall for each other as only two teens experiencing first love and first heartache can. As Ilana discovers more and more about Benjamin’s past and the man with no shadow, she is thrust into the middle of a nightmare that has haunted the Jewish children of Prague for centuries.

The story read to me like a fairy tale retelling and verse was the perfect format for a story so dependent on music. Each sentence conveys far more meaning than the simple summation of its words. Ilana is a compelling heroine and the story is all the more poignant for knowing that Benjamin was already dead before Ilana met him. It is a tale of growing up and facing harsh realities while still clinging to the innocence of youth and the spark within us all that leads us to create art.

Ilana is a biracial jew and the story of her mother’s family heritage was particularly compelling. The verse in those sections took on a distinct quality, much as Jews from different parts of the world have distinct customs. Yet some customs unify us all – including the importance of caring for the dead. Referred to as Chesed shel Emet it is believed to be the only truly selfless good deed one can ever do in this world. Ilana takes that truth, and the many truths about herself that she discovers along the way, into her battle for Benjamin’s soul. Readers will be swept away on that journey with her.

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E Broderick is a writer and speculative fiction enthusiast. When not writing she enjoys epic games of trivial pursuit and baking. She currently lives in the U.S. but is eagerly awaiting the day a sentient spaceship offers to take her traveling around the galaxy.