The Golem and the Jinni - Review
Link to the author's (H. Wecker) personal website
Genre: Fantasy
Publication Type: Book
Tags:
- Average Age of Main Characters (30)
- Length (5 / 10)
Link to Goodreads
Blurb: Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a disgraced rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic, created to be the wife of a man who dies at sea on the voyage from Poland. Chava is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York harbor in 1899.
Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire born in the ancient Syrian desert, trapped in an old copper flask, and released in New York City, though still not entirely free.
Ahmad and Chava become unlikely friends and soul mates with a mystical connection. Marvelous and compulsively readable, Helene Wecker's debut novel The Golem and the Jinni weaves strands of Yiddish and Middle Eastern literature, historical fiction and magical fable, into a wondrously inventive and unforgettable tale.
Review: So fair warning that I read this a while ago. I've got a super fond recollection of this book though, and it's always one of my go-to examples for a good fantasy stand-alone that's not part of either a larger universe or a deep fantasy universe. The book isn't faced paced, and you're just along for the ride as two 'people' discover the world and each other. I really enjoyed the setting and loved how they described ~1900 New York City. The author does a good job of making overlapping story lines all blend together without distraction as well. Take this with a slight grain of salt once again though, as I regrettably haven't gotten round to re-reading it and solidifying the details of it. Solid novel regardless! Extra note: Apparently a series might be built on this.