Scan barcode
A review by cjeanne99
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Narrative got a little slow at times - and while listening - got confusing when what I think were probably "flashbacks" for the Jinni - were presented.
What a great story - a golem is created to be a respectable wife for a man who is emigrating to New York CIty in the late 1890's. The man brings the Golem to life on the boat - and then dies of appendicitis. Chava, (the golem) - suddenly without a master - finds her way into the lower east side where she meets a rabbi who understands who she is. He teaches her to find her own way, gets her a job at a bakery, presents her to his nephew as a widow for who he is acting as her guardian.
In a nearby Syrian neighborhood, Boutros Arbeely, a tinsmith, works to repair a copper flask, used for storing oil and passed down amongst family members for generations. He unleashes a Jinni named Ahmad. The two work together and build the tinsmith's business.
Both Chava and Ahmad are restless souls - not really of the human world. As they begin to be more comfortable in New York City - they begin to venture out - and one day - their paths cross. Chava could see the light emanating from the Jinni - and he could see that she was not a mortal woman. They become friends - still carrying on their own lives - but eventually their worlds collide in an unleashing of mystical proportions.
What a great story - a golem is created to be a respectable wife for a man who is emigrating to New York CIty in the late 1890's. The man brings the Golem to life on the boat - and then dies of appendicitis. Chava, (the golem) - suddenly without a master - finds her way into the lower east side where she meets a rabbi who understands who she is. He teaches her to find her own way, gets her a job at a bakery, presents her to his nephew as a widow for who he is acting as her guardian.
In a nearby Syrian neighborhood, Boutros Arbeely, a tinsmith, works to repair a copper flask, used for storing oil and passed down amongst family members for generations. He unleashes a Jinni named Ahmad. The two work together and build the tinsmith's business.
Both Chava and Ahmad are restless souls - not really of the human world. As they begin to be more comfortable in New York City - they begin to venture out - and one day - their paths cross. Chava could see the light emanating from the Jinni - and he could see that she was not a mortal woman. They become friends - still carrying on their own lives - but eventually their worlds collide in an unleashing of mystical proportions.