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A Book Review Of The Golem And The Jinni

The Golem And The Jinni by Helene Wecker is an incredibly inventive, imaginative and compelling book. This was a story that once it had engaged me, I could not stop thinking about it. The book follows the two different beings, a golem and a jinni who find themselves in New York City. Chava, the golem, was only awakened on the crossing over to the city, and is only a day old when she arrives, her master having died on the boat. The jinni on the other hand has been trapped in an oil flask for thousands of years, and is stuck in his human form. The two unwittingly cross paths and are drawn to each other. They are both outcasts from the human race, the only two people who can relate.

But the story is also about those they meet. The people who have taken them in, have helped them despite their secrets. The small communities they become a part of within the city, teaching and learning the ways of the human race.

The writing in the story is subprime. It is constantly transitioning, showing different facets of the story from many different perspectives. It includes a large cast of characters, however they are introduced slowly throughout the entire novel so you become familiar with them, as if you were a part of their small communities. It follows many twists and turns in the character interactions. Through friendships, breakups, and everything in between. Additionally the writing about the city itself is wonderful. As the jinni explores at night, he introduces you to the whole island of Manhattan piece by piece. You gain an understanding of its underbelly, the things that really drive the day to day lives of its citizens. 

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The cast of characters was inventive and wonderful to meet. The story was engaging, and was well supported by good writing, and the who experience of reading the novel was a joy.

Comments

  1. AnonymousAugust 21, 2018 at 2:01 PM

    I loved this book too, I read a few of the options this summer and this one was by far my favorite. I liked that you didn't know the story already, you could relate because you knew about the mythology but you didn't know the plot like in Boy, Snow, Bird. It was riveting and well written, I totally agree.

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  2. AnonymousAugust 21, 2018 at 6:50 PM

    I had avoided this story originally because it seemed too much like the typical YA fantasy story that I'd read when I was a lot younger (actually, it specifically sounded extremely similar to the quite good Bartimaeus Sequence). Having read Possession instead, I probably should have picked this one instead. I am fascinated by this sort of mythology, and I think it's interesting to see the different angles that authors take on the same old stories of genies-in-a-bottle and animated golems.

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