I have long had a soft spot for books that feature the figure of the Golem. Around the time that the first Harry Potter book was released, Pete Hamill published a novel called Snow In August. The book centered on an Irish Catholic boy called Michael Devlin, living in post WWII New York City. Michael befriends a Rabbi in the neighborhood on his way to serving as the altar boy. At the time, anti-Semitism ran rife, and the friendship soon puts both in danger. The Golem, of ancient Jewish lore, plays heavily into the resolution of the tale. The book, to me, was magic. I loved reading this story of the underdog, and the elements of mysticism heightened the experience. I read it over and over again for years, and I actually still have the book on my shelf now. The Golem was resurrected for me again the summer that I read Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, another novel with which I became obsessed. Given the track record, you can see why when I heard about Helene Wecker’s The Golem and the Jinni, I immediately purchased it.
With all the cold weather in New York City this week, I’ve spent the entire week waiting for work to finish up so that I could get home to my warm apartment and this book. Despite the curiosity that the Golem piques for me, I was a little apprehensive about starting the book, only because I’m not generally a fantasy nut. That’s not to say there aren’t books in the genre that I don’t love (Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials Trilogy, Harry Potter, etc.), they just aren’t generally my top pick. But, given that Wecker’s tale began with the creation of the golem, I was intrigued.
With all the cold weather in New York City this week, I’ve spent the entire week waiting for work to finish up so that I could get home to my warm apartment and this book. Despite the curiosity that the Golem piques for me, I was a little apprehensive about starting the book, only because I’m not generally a fantasy nut. That’s not to say there aren’t books in the genre that I don’t love (Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials Trilogy, Harry Potter, etc.), they just aren’t generally my top pick. But, given that Wecker’s tale began with the creation of the golem, I was intrigued.
The yellow portion is Little Syria The Golem and the Jinni, as you might gather, features two central and mystical characters. The Golem represents Earth, a creature made of clay, conjured to do the bidding of her master. The Jinni is fire, a restless creature from the African desert. The two beings meet in 1890s New York City, as each tries to blend into society, fighting their own nature to try and mask their true identities.
These characters, along with the supporting cast, are very memorable. Despite that the main figures are not human, it is easy to feel their plight - the frustration of hiding who they are and mimicking human behavior. What I really loved about this book though were the historical elements. The Jinni resides in Little Syria, which happens to have been on my street! The Golem, meanwhile, roams the Lower East side, which used to be a Jewish tenement district. The two characters frequently travel uptown to Central Park. As the story unfolded on very familiar geography, I was quickly tethered to it. Wecker, according to the interview with the author that was appended to the novel, spent almost two years researching New York City history.
These characters, along with the supporting cast, are very memorable. Despite that the main figures are not human, it is easy to feel their plight - the frustration of hiding who they are and mimicking human behavior. What I really loved about this book though were the historical elements. The Jinni resides in Little Syria, which happens to have been on my street! The Golem, meanwhile, roams the Lower East side, which used to be a Jewish tenement district. The two characters frequently travel uptown to Central Park. As the story unfolded on very familiar geography, I was quickly tethered to it. Wecker, according to the interview with the author that was appended to the novel, spent almost two years researching New York City history.
Tenament in the Bowery in NYC, 1890s Despite all of these aspects that should have knocked this book out of the park, I would probably give it 4 out of 5 stars. This is going to sound a little bit cheesy, but the main complaint I would register about this book is that the author didn’t let it soar. Given the subject matter, I think I was continually looking for the lyricism of Isaac Bashevis Singer, only to have the book fall a little short. Despite all the magic and these two incredibly dynamic characters, I wanted more passion and more fire. I think overall tone felt a little restrained at times, and I kept thinking, why is she holding back? I wanted the characters to be a bit less contained.
Nevertheless, the weaving together of these two traditions in this debut novel was wonderful. I loved the story and would still recommend it. I kept wondering how she would manage to conclude a story that felt as if it could continue forever, and Wecker did it beautifully, in a way that was certainly a little contrived, but did not feel overly forced. The book is long, around 500 pages. Though in retrospect there are aspects that the editor could have cut, at no point as I was reading it did that thought cross my mind. I think this novel sits in a nice sweet spot, not as literary as Chabon’s Kavalier and Clay, but not as kitschy as the Hunger Games, which makes it very approachable and perhaps a bit more universally appealing.
I’m moving next to Amanda Lindhout’s A House in the Sky. To everyone stuck in the snow, stay safe and stay warm. And enjoy the long weekend! Happy reading!
Nevertheless, the weaving together of these two traditions in this debut novel was wonderful. I loved the story and would still recommend it. I kept wondering how she would manage to conclude a story that felt as if it could continue forever, and Wecker did it beautifully, in a way that was certainly a little contrived, but did not feel overly forced. The book is long, around 500 pages. Though in retrospect there are aspects that the editor could have cut, at no point as I was reading it did that thought cross my mind. I think this novel sits in a nice sweet spot, not as literary as Chabon’s Kavalier and Clay, but not as kitschy as the Hunger Games, which makes it very approachable and perhaps a bit more universally appealing.
I’m moving next to Amanda Lindhout’s A House in the Sky. To everyone stuck in the snow, stay safe and stay warm. And enjoy the long weekend! Happy reading!
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