shingekiyes's profile picture

shingekiyes 's review for:

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
5.0
adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

god this book made me feel like i was going to cry, throw up, pass out, and scream all at once. i’m writing this review as i’m ugly crying over the epilogue.

this book asks: what does it mean to be human? what is love? and what is freedom? 

through the Jinni, we learn that every choice, every action has consequences. that to be human means to be apart of something bigger—a community, a family. 

through the Golem, we learn that empathy is innate and that our nature can be challenged. that to be human means to choose love, to choose ourselves. 

this book is a love story… not of romantic love, but of connection and understanding between two beings that is totally undefinable and beyond comprehension. though they were, at their cores, opposites, they chose to be together, to fight for each other, and to return to each other. 

i would also love to note the gender commentary (the woman is a creature that required a master and the man is the creature that requires freedom) but i am too emotional right now!

anyway. helene, when i find you, it is sooooo over!