Book Review: The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a disgraced rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. When her master, the husband who commissioned her, dies at sea on the voyage from Poland, she is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York in 1899. Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop. Though he is no longer imprisoned, Ahmad is not entirely free – an unbreakable band of iron binds him to the physical world. The Golem and the Jinni is their magical, unforgettable story; unlikely friends whose tenuous attachment challenges their opposing natures – until the night a terrifying incident drives them back into their separate worlds. But a powerful threat will soon bring Chava and Ahmad together again, challenging their existence and forcing them to make a fateful choice.

OMG, This book has to be one of my favorites this year! It is the story of a Golem and a Jinni who finds themselves in New York City and they have to find how to live. I must admit when I read this book, I had in my head a different way of the Golem and the Jinni. But they take real human bodies and do real human things in the book. It makes for a good story. I also loved the back story and how the author entwines myth and folklore into the story.

The one thing that worried me was I was afraid that the it was gonna turns out like a sappy love story for a while there. I read with bated breath and was prepared to curse the author forever and ever if he took that route. It seems everybody and their mother want to put a damn love story in the book. Even when it won’t make any sense or it makes the book cheezy. But thankfully this book did not turn out that way.  I was super pleased with the ending. it felt raw and real like it could really happen. The writing really evoked feelings in the reader.

I really like how it was set up in New York at the beginning of the century. I felt as if I was there with the characters and I could almost feel like I was in the New York in the book. The author captured the time perfectly.

I also loved how all the story lines came together. They started out separately and I was wondering how the author would manage to tie them in all together and when she did it was pure magic.

I must warn potential readers though this book is more of a character study than a book heavy on plot. It goes into lengthy details that may bog down some readers. I thought it was beautiful writing, but I know some people like their books to have a lot of action in them. If you do then you may not like this book.

Overall I absolutely LOVED this book. This is one I will come back to time and time again.