The Golem And The Jinni

Chava is a golem made from clay and magic. A man has commissioned her from a rabbi that dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. Her master dies at sea while traveling with her to America. She must find a way to survive among humans in New York. Ahmad is a jinni that was trapped in a bottle by a Bedouin wizard. He is released from his bottle by a tinsmith in Manhattan, who had no idea a jinni would emerge from the flask. Ahmad must also try to fit into this human world. When Chava and Ahmad meet, they instantly know the other is not human. Each is shocked and immediately intrigued by the other. They are drawn to the non-human nature that they each possess.

I thought The Golem And The Jinni was absolutely captivating. The use of myths from different cultures to describe the difficulties of immigrating to a new country was fascinating. The writing pulled me in, and I could not put the book down. There were enough elements of folklore to keep the part of me that loves fairy tales and myths happy, but that is not all this book is. It touches on issues people face when moving to a new country, it delves into relationships, and discusses moral issues.

This was one of my favorite books this year. From the beautiful writing to the rich characters, I was completely drawn in. The story combines folklore with history, which is a favorite combination of mine. Wecker does an amazing job connecting the different elements of her story. It was refreshing to read such an original tale. I am looking forward to reading more books from this author.

I highly recommend reading this book.