Book Review
Sep. 25th, 2015 10:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariThe Golem and the Djinni
by Helene Wecker
I enjoyed this novel a lot. Set in late 19th century New York City, it follows Chava, a golem, and Ahmad, a Djinni, who each arrive in the city and must make lives and places for themselves. When the man for whom she is created dies on the ship from Poland to America, Chava comes to the city alone and adrift. Luckily, she is taken in by an old Rabbi who gets her a job in a bakery and helps her navigate both the Jewish immigrant community and the mysteries of her nature. Ahmad comes to New York when he is accidentally let out of the flask in which he has been imprisoned by a Syrian tinsmith attempting to repair the flask. Eventually they meet and form a bond, which proves to be crucial when they must fight against that which threatens to control and destroy them.
The story is quite good, but Wecker's best strength is in her characterization. Everyone is vivid and complete - even the minor characters clearly have their own lives and stories going on just outside of the frame. And most everyone is wonderfully complex. Even the villainous people had their sympathetic moments. Wecker is also very good at the way she uses her characters and their stories to explore themes of immigration, assimilation, alienation, free will, control, and the need to balance one's own needs and desires with those of others. Being what they are, Chava and Ahmad are the perfect vehicles for these themes, and I found the way they dealt with and resolved these issues both poignant and satisfying.
by Helene Wecker
I enjoyed this novel a lot. Set in late 19th century New York City, it follows Chava, a golem, and Ahmad, a Djinni, who each arrive in the city and must make lives and places for themselves. When the man for whom she is created dies on the ship from Poland to America, Chava comes to the city alone and adrift. Luckily, she is taken in by an old Rabbi who gets her a job in a bakery and helps her navigate both the Jewish immigrant community and the mysteries of her nature. Ahmad comes to New York when he is accidentally let out of the flask in which he has been imprisoned by a Syrian tinsmith attempting to repair the flask. Eventually they meet and form a bond, which proves to be crucial when they must fight against that which threatens to control and destroy them.
The story is quite good, but Wecker's best strength is in her characterization. Everyone is vivid and complete - even the minor characters clearly have their own lives and stories going on just outside of the frame. And most everyone is wonderfully complex. Even the villainous people had their sympathetic moments. Wecker is also very good at the way she uses her characters and their stories to explore themes of immigration, assimilation, alienation, free will, control, and the need to balance one's own needs and desires with those of others. Being what they are, Chava and Ahmad are the perfect vehicles for these themes, and I found the way they dealt with and resolved these issues both poignant and satisfying.
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Date: 2015-09-26 12:55 pm (UTC)