The Golem and the Djinni
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- €4.49
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- €4.49
Publisher Description
‘One of only two novels I've ever loved whose main characters are not human’ BARBARA KINGSOLVER
For fans of The Essex Serpent and The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock.
‘By far my favourite book of of the year’ Guardian
One cold night, two newcomers emerge onto the streets of 1899 New York, and it is never the same again.
But these two are more than strangers to this land, they are strangers to this world. From the depths of folkloric history come Chava the golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a disgraced rabbi and Ahmad, a djinni, born in the ancient Syrian desert and trapped in an old copper flask released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop.
Two companions who were never meant to be released, and never meant to meet. And when they do, their opposing natures will be sealed by a special bond, but one that is threatened by watching eyes, roaming owners and a misunderstanding world.
A glittering gem of a novel, as spell-binding as it is compelling, The Golem and The Djinni asks us what we’re made of and how we can break free.
Reviews
‘By far my favourite book of of the year … There isn't a wasted word, poorly considered paragraph or a single chapter in this high-concept fairytale that doesn't deliver some new enchantment’ Damien Walter, Guardian
‘The Golem and The Djinni has the detailed realism of historical fiction, the haunting feel of a folk tale, and is one of only two novels I've ever loved whose main characters are not human’ Barbara Kingsolver
‘The author makes you care enough about the humanity of these magical spirits to not only see them through to the end but also to regret that you’ve reached the last page’ New York Times
‘A continuous delight — provocative, atmospheric, and superbly paced’ Boston Globe
‘The Golem and The Djinni are among my favourite fictional people’ Washington Post
About the author
Helene Wecker grew up near Chicago, and received her MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in New York. Her work has been published in the online magazine Joyland, and she has read from her stories at the KGB Bar in New York and the Barbershop Reading Series in San Francisco. After a dozen years of moving around between both coasts and the Midwest, she now lives near San Francisco with her husband and daughter. The Golem and the Djinni is her first novel.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This extraordinary novel entwines two stories: the tale of two mythical creatures brought to New York City at the end of the 19th century and the legend of their origins. Forged from inanimate objects through magic, the golem and the djinni arrive in America as immigrants and struggle to find their way in a new home. Helene Wecker imbues these magical creatures with humanity and grace, weaving a remarkable story about unlikely friendship and survival. The Golem and the Djinni is an assured debut, bringing together fantasy and philosophy against the gritty backdrop of the Big Apple.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Wecker's first novel is a magical tale of two mythical creatures a golem from a Polish shtetl and a jinni from the Syrian Desert struggling to fit in among New York's turn-of-the-19th-century immigrants. The golem is brought to America by poor furniture maker Otto Rotfeld, who had her built from clay to be his wife, but he dies en route. Elderly Rabbi Avram Meyer, recognizing the tall and hardworking young woman's supernatural character, gives her a name Chava and a job in a bakery, but ponders whether to destroy her or let her fulfill a destiny that legend dictates includes mayhem and destruction. Meanwhile, a tinsmith, Boutros Arbeely, releases the jinni from a thousand-year-old flask and names him Ahmad. Proud, handsome Ahmad proves a gifted metalworker, seduces a Fifth Avenue heiress, and pines for his long-lost glass palace before meeting Chava, his unlikely soul mate. Wecker deftly layers their story over those of the people they encounter, including a Jewish baker and his wife, a Maronite coffee shop owner and his wife, a doctor turned ice cream vendor, and an apostate social worker. The ending dips into melodrama, but the human touches more than compensate in Wecker's spellbinding blend of fantasy and historical fiction.
