The golem and the jinni book review5/29/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() The narrative jumps between Chava and Ahmad, and between their different communities. At first, I wondered why Wecker was spending so much time on why and how Chava and Ahmad came to exist, and how they end up in New York, but as the story continues the connections get tighter and more tangled, and it all makes glorious, necessary sense. Chava (the golem) and Ahmad (the jinni) both have deep backstories, with chapters at the beginning suddenly coming to us from new characters' perspectives, or from distant locations or times. This basic storyline takes place against a rich backdrop of supporting characters, all complex and fascinating on their own. These two misfits have to figure out a way to survive in their new and unexpected surroundings, and the story circles around until they meet and their lives begin to intertwine. The other is a Jinni, a creature of fire imprisoned in a brass container 1000 years ago, from which the jinni is freed accidentally by the local Little Syria tinsmith as he tries to remove a few dents and scratches. Unfortunately that master has died at sea and she is now an uncomfortable free agent. The premise: it's 1899 in New York, and two new immigrants are stranger than any official could have imagined: one is a Golem, a woman made of clay to serve one master. I'm so glad I did, as it was a wonderfully entertaining, creative read. This is a book that I picked up solely because of the blog buzz around it. ![]()
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