Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier

Last week, I read Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier. This novel is a whimsical historical fantasy taking place in Victorian London. As a young child, Nan was raised by a man she only knew as the Sweep, but when she was six years old, he disappeared, leaving her alone. Soon after, a cruel master took her for his climbing crew. With Wilkie Crudd's "climbing boys", Nan's job was to clean chimneys and protect homes from fire. This job was not only difficult, but also extremely dangerous. Five years later in 1874, the now eleven-year-old gets stuck in a chimney while sweeping at a school and one of her crew mates, Roger, lights a fire to motivate her to escape. Nan nearly dies in the fire if it were not for her char, a keepsake from the Sweep, saving her life as it became a golem from the heat of the fire. Nan befriends the golem, which she names Charlie, and they build a life together.

I had read another book by Jonathan Auxier, The Night Gardener, a few years ago, so I was really excited to read Sweep. I thought this story was absolutely beautiful, especially its theme of how "We save ourselves by saving others". I adored the friendship that grew between Nan and Charlie during their journey and was sad at the bittersweet ending. I was fascinated throughout by how the author combined fantasy with historical fact. It was intense at times because of the cruelty of the villains and the challenges of being a chimney sweep. It felt deeply realistic, despite the fantasy elements. The novel also discusses the issue of anti-semitism in Europe at the time because a few of the characters are Jewish. The map in the book was very helpful because I could see where the places in 1874 London are relative to each other. Additionally, I took the time to read the back matter in the book, an author's note and a historical note, which gave me an understanding of the author's inspiration for the novel, including the real life history of golems, sweeps, and Victorian London. If you like monsters, fantasy, or historical fiction, this is a wonderful book to read.