The cold or overbearing Jewish mother is a tired trope. But Mina Hardy manages to breathe new life into what is an otherwise harmful and inaccurate stereotype by amping up the supernatural horror and letting that Jewish mamele off the hook just a bit. BITTER IS THE HEART is Hardy’s latest scary novel, blending psychological drama, creepy monsters, Jewish folklore and even some romance.

When high schooler Tamar Glass left home, it was to save her own life. When she returned to Ohio years later, it was to spend time with her sister, Lovey, and Lovey’s family and not have anything to do with her mother, Ruth. But when Lovey moves to California, Tamar is forced once again into a relationship with the parent who terrorized and abused her as a child and has shown little to no love for her since. Even after getting sober, Ruth continues to be the same unpredictable, judgmental and cruel woman Tamar always knew her to be. Still, Tamar does her duty as a daughter by occasionally visiting her mother in the retirement home and doing her best to ensure that her mother's needs are met.

"Hardy’s use of Jewish mysticism and religion is great, lending a unique worldview in the horror genre.... BITTER IS THE HEART is a compelling and chilling read with some cinematically gross moments."

That is, until a series of events sees Ruth kicked out of the home and living with Tamar. The tension and the disturbance in Tamar’s life ratchet up. Is she walking in her sleep? Who is moving all the things in her kitchen? What is causing Ruth’s mood swings? What is really behind the accidents to people Ruth knows? Ruth seems to have evil powers that go beyond the abuse she has always heaped upon her oldest daughter. Tamar is tough, stoic and self-reliant, but living with Ruth is pushing her to a breaking point. In fact, she begins to fear for her life and for her sanity. To share all the horrific details and scenes Hardy includes is to give away too much of what is fun and frightening about this book.

Tamar teams up with her high school boyfriend (and rekindled flame), along with her rabbi, as she tries to understand what happened in the house she grew up in and what is happening in the home she again shares with Ruth. Secrets are revealed, nightmares become a reality, and lots of blood is shed.

Books that normalize Jewish identity and practice are sometimes few and far between. Hardy’s use of Jewish mysticism and religion is great, lending a unique worldview in the horror genre. The generational trauma here is not quite what readers familiar with Jewish characters would expect.

BITTER IS THE HEART is a compelling and chilling read with some cinematically gross moments. Hardy’s lead characters are tough and stubborn, smart but unable to confront the awful truths in front of them, remaining locked in an emotional mother-daughter battle that is also playing out in a shadowy realm. Tamar will need to dig deep in order to find the power to stop the forces with which she is fighting. She will need love, forgiveness, truth and insight, not to mention some sharp weapons, to save herself. This unnerving page-turner arrives just in time for the ghostly reading season.