



The Golem and the Jinni
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3.9 • 104 Ratings
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- $26.99
Publisher Description
“An intoxicating fusion of fantasy and historical fiction. . . . Wecker’s storytelling skills dazzle."" —Entertainment Weekly
A marvelous and absorbing debut novel about a chance meeting between two supernatural creatures in turn-of-the-century immigrant New York.
Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay by a disgraced rabbi knowledgeable in the ways of dark Kabbalistic magic. She serves as the wife to a Polish merchant who dies at sea on the voyage to America. As the ship arrives in New York in 1899, Chava is unmoored and adrift until a rabbi on the Lower East Side recognizes her for the creature she is and takes her in.
Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire born in the ancient Syrian desert and trapped centuries ago in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard. Released by a Syrian tinsmith in a Manhattan shop, Ahmad appears in human form but is still not free. An iron band around his wrist binds him to the wizard and to the physical world.
Chava and Ahmad meet accidentally and become friends and soul mates despite their opposing natures. But when the golem’s violent nature overtakes her one evening, their bond is challenged. An even more powerful threat will emerge, however, and bring Chava and Ahmad together again, challenging their very existence and forcing them to make a fateful choice.
Compulsively readable, The Golem and the Jinni weaves strands of Yiddish and Middle Eastern literature, historical fiction and magical fable, in a wondrously inventive tale that is mesmerizing and unforgettable.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Two mythological creatures encounter each other at the dawn of the 20th century in New York City. Chava, a golem—a magical being made of clay—has just been brought to life by an unscrupulous mystic and struggles against her innate need to make people’s wishes come true. By contrast, Ahmad, a centuries-old fiery jinni (or genie) trapped in a man’s body, is jaded and selfish. What happens when the paths of these two lonely but powerful beings finally cross? And what fresh dangers loom when the golem’s creator lands on the scene? Helene Wecker’s lovely debut fantasy receives an extra blessing in the form of veteran narrator George Guidall, winner of the Audio Publishers Association’s lifetime achievement award. His weighty delivery anchors this fable in reality and offers compassion to even the most sinister villain. The Golem and the Jinni puts a fantastical spin on the classic immigrant tale.
Customer Reviews
Beautiful reading
Guidall offers a beautiful reading of this gorgeous novel of immigrant life on a magical, mythical scale. Moving and a delight to listen to.