The Rust Maidens - Book Review

The Rust Maidens
by Gwendolyn Kiste

What is it about:
Something’s happening to the girls on Denton Street.

It’s the summer of 1980 in Cleveland, Ohio, and Phoebe Shaw and her best friend Jacqueline have just graduated high school, only to confront an ugly, uncertain future. Across the city, abandoned factories populate the skyline; meanwhile at the shore, one strong spark, and the Cuyahoga River might catch fire. But none of that compares to what’s happening in their own west side neighborhood. The girls Phoebe and Jacqueline have grown up with are changing. It starts with footprints of dark water on the sidewalk. Then, one by one, the girls’ bodies wither away, their fingernails turning to broken glass, and their bones exposed like corroded metal beneath their flesh.

As rumors spread about the grotesque transformations, soon everyone from nosy tourists to clinic doctors and government men start arriving on Denton Street, eager to catch sight of “the Rust Maidens” in metamorphosis. But even with all the onlookers, nobody can explain what’s happening or why—except perhaps the Rust Maidens themselves. Whispering in secret, they know more than they’re telling, and Phoebe realizes her former friends are quietly preparing for something that will tear their neighborhood apart.

Alternating between past and present, Phoebe struggles to unravel the mystery of the Rust Maidens—and her own unwitting role in the transformations—before she loses everything she’s held dear: her home, her best friend, and even perhaps her own body.

What did I think of it:
The good thing about having friends getting you books for Christmas and your birthday is that sometimes you get a book you didn't even know was out there. Like this one. And let me tell you: I can't believe this book went so under my radar, because it's is beautiful.

Set during a time of economic depression this is a tale full of heartbreak and sadness. As their future and neighborhood crumble around them, five teenage girls start a strange metamorphosis. Phoebe wants to help, especially as one of the girls is her cousin and best friend, but nothing seems to be able to stop the strange disease that turns the girls into the Rust Maidens.

I was drawn into this story from the start. It alternates between 1980 and about 25 years after that when Phoebe returns home for the first time and is once again confronted with everything that happened. She has to relive everything or risk starting another cycle of destruction.

This book is about loss, decay, change, and facing your future. Kiste uses the rust maidens as an achingly beautiful and sad metaphor to show the loss of hope when faced with your world falling apart. It might be set in 1980, but it feels very relevant seeing how many people are struggling today. When reading the book I was totally engrossed in the story and all the emotions it holds, and it lingered with me long after finishing it.

A powerful and atmospheric story that I will certainly reread, even though it isn't an easy read at times.

Why should you read it:
It's an achingly beautiful read.


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