I found it extremely interesting that despite their names, they were most often referred to by “the Golem and the Jinni.” This felt like an intentional choice, perhaps because this is who they essentially were, rather than the names that were given to them.Ĭhava, as a golem, was made of clay. But the most interesting characters by far were the Golem and the Jinni themselves. We get to see flashes of their lives, and in some cases, their history and current situation. Side characters are fully developed, and never just feel like they’re tossed in there. We not only get to know Chava and Ahmad, but the people who surround them. The immigrant neighborhoods contained everything a person ever needed within them, allowing them to stay within a microcosm of their home country, as shown by the Jewish neighborhood and the area known as Little Syria. In 1899, there was a big distinction between the neighborhoods, and people tended to only live with people with similar backgrounds. She doesn’t just describe turn of the century Manhattan, she almost makes it feel like a character in it’s own right, which anyone who has ever spent time in Manhattan at any period of time can tell you is right on point. To start out with, Wecker devotes a lot of time to developing the setting and fleshing out the characters. Don’t worry-you’ll get to hear all about it! Both of us had heard nothing but positive feedback about this book, so we were excited to jump in. And while it was kind of a strange book discussion that we wound up having, I’m so glad that I read it with her, because we ultimately had some thoughts to share with each other. Marvelous and compulsively readable, The Golem and the Jinni weaves strands of folk mythology, historical fiction, and magical fable into a wondrously inventive and unforgettable tale.Īs part of our ongoing monthly buddy reads, this was our pick for February’s buddy read with Becky Becky’s Book Blog. But a powerful menace will soon bring the Golem and the Jinni together again, threatening their existence and forcing them to make a fateful choice. Meeting by chance, they become unlikely friends whose tenuous attachment challenges their opposing natures, until the night a terrifying incident drives them back into their separate worlds.

Struggling to make their way in 1899 New York, the Golem and the Jinni try to fit in with their immigrant neighbors while masking their true selves. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop. Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian Desert.

CONTENT WARNING: violence, death, grief, murder, enslavement, miscarriage, death of a parent, suicideĬhava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a strange man who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic.

The golem and the jinni book review