The windows of my soul are made of one way glass: LOVE ME LIKE A ROCK SONG.

Love Me Like a Rock Song: A Novel by Shelly Jay Shore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love Shelly Jay Shore's writing and how they always come up with original stories that expertly portray queer Jewish identity.


Singer-songwriter Delilah has just had her wedding called off by her fiancée, Sam. Complicating things is the fact that she and Sam work together as a well-known musical duo. About to record her own solo album (filled with love songs about Sam), Delilah decides to take their planned honeymoon solo and use the time to write a whole new record. As she begins, she picks up a hitchhiker: Emmett. But Emmett just happens to be a golem, a creature from Jewish folklore made out of clay and designed to serve their master. Emmett's master is now dead and they have been ordered to return to their origins (aka disappear).


It sounds wild but Shelly Jay Shore has the ability to make the mystical both believable and fun. The more time Delilah and Emmett spend together, the closer they become. The story explores Delilah's history of mania, deftly looking into how mental illness can affect relationships (and life).


This is such a wonderfully queer story--with many of their road trip stops, the duo explore queer landmarks, meet other queer people, and immerse themselves in queer stories. As they do, Emmett comes to learn more about themself, unearthing an identity hidden by years of serving a harsh master.


Shelly Jay Shore gives us a captivating and complex queer story that explores Jewish identify and folklore, the concept of places as memory, and the importance of self-acceptance. Delilah and Emmett are not your typical couple, but this book benefits from its original storytelling that still captures humanity at its heart.


I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Dell in return for an unbiased review.

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