The Golem and the Jinni

Description

In The Golem and the Jinni, a chance meeting between mythical beings takes readers on a dazzling journey through cultures in turn-of-the-century New York.Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life to by a disgraced rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic and 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 freeAhmad 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.Amazon.com ReviewAn Amazon Best Book of the Month, April 2013: Imaginative and meticulously researched, this enchanting debut novel from Helene Wecker is, in reality, an historical fiction. Set primarily in turn-of-the-century Manhattan, it deliberately details the immigrant experience--the wonders and hardships of being in a new country and the discoveries, triumphs, and failures that follow--while bringing the city itself to life with such passion that New York of yore seems like a magical land. Beyond reality, however, The Golem and the Jinni, as the title implies, is also a fantastic work of fantasy. The Golem is an insatiably curious clay "woman" that was created to seem human while serving only her husband; the Jinni is a magical "man" whose fascination with mortals has left him nearly stripped of his own nature and forced to live as one. These mythical characters from otherwise clashing cultures not only coexist, but come to rely upon one another in order to exist at all. In turn, their story finds us not only rooting for them to find peace and happiness, but gaining a better understanding of our own human nature in the process. --Robin A. RothmanReviewFrom its eerie opening pages to its shattering conclusion, THE GOLEM AND THE JINNI is an astonishing debut novel that sweeps us into a gaslit alternate reality rich enough to get lost in. (Tom Reiss, author of THE ORIENTALIST and THE BLACK COUNT )With a delightful blend of the prosaic and the fanciful, THE GOLEM AND THE JINNI explores what it means to be human as Chava and Ahmad struggle to live and find love while overcoming the powerful adversary who threatens to destroy them.(Deborah Harkness, author of A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES )Original and fresh…A fascinating blend of historical fiction and Jewish and Arab folklore (Library Journal )Wecker deftly layers their story over those of the people they encounter...[A] spellbinding blend of fantasy and historical fiction. (Publishers Weekly )The premise is so fresh...A mystical and highly original stroll through the sidewalks of New York. (Booklist )Wecker begins with a juicy premise…and great adventures ensue…She writes skillfully, nicely evoking the layers of alienness that fall upon strangers in a strange land. (Kirkus Reviews )Magical thinking comes alive in an enchanting allegory of the immigrant experience as two mythical beings try to make sense of themselves and the world around them. (Family Circle Magazine )THE GOLEM AND THE JINNI is recommended to adults who enjoy a good story and have a childlike sense of make-believe. (New York Journal of Books )It sounds like the setup for a really strange joke: A golem and a jinni walk into a bakery in early 19th-century New York.... But this debut novel - part fantastic tale, part historical fiction - is one of the most highly anticipated fiction releases of the spring. (Christian Science Monitor )