REVIEW: The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wrecker

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wrecker
Publishing information: Audible; 19hrs 43m
Publisher: HarperAudio; 31 Dec 2013
ISBN: 978-0062110848
Series
Copy: Out of pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Amazon
Audible

Synopsis: "In The Golem and the Jinni, a chance meeting between mythical beings takes readers on a dazzling journey through cultures in turn-of-the-century New York.

Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life to by a disgraced rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic and dies at sea on the voyage from Poland. Chava is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York harbor in 1899.

Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire born in the ancient Syrian desert, trapped in an old copper flask, and released in New York City, though still not entirely free

Ahmad and Chava become unlikely friends and soul mates with a mystical connection. Marvelous and compulsively readable, Helene Wecker's debut novel The Golem and the Jinni weaves strands of Yiddish and Middle Eastern literature, historical fiction and magical fable, into a wondrously inventive and unforgettable tale."

Quite a while ago Sarah over at Bookworm Blues praised The Golem and the Jinni and it has been in my review pile. Knowing I wouldn't get to it for some time. I decided to purchase it again in audio form so I could listen to it during my days working in the yard. It was a good choice.

The Golem and the Jinni tells the story of two famous supernatural creatures from two very distinct cultures. The first is the Jewish golem. Created through incantation and soil it obeys its master's commands. Normally the golem is created as muscle and used for revenge, in this case the golem is created for a young man to be his loyal wife on the condition that she be made to be intelligent and inquisitive. When her master dies on the ship carrying them to the new world she must learn to survive on her own and do it while acting human lest she draw attention to herself.

The Jinni is a mythological creature from the Islamic culture. He is an old jinni who once lived free from mankind and only encountered them when he was curious about them as they past by his invisible castle on their way to trade goods. When he is mistaken for an evil jinni he is captured and placed inside a copper flask. He is only released when the flask is taken in to be repaired by a coppersmith who lives in the Islamic community in New York.

One of the best things about this book is that it takes a lot of symbols that shouldn't go together and yet Wrecker manages to turn a phrase and through her brilliant storytelling shows that they should go together. The Golem represents not just the Jewish faith but also Earth, and the Jinni represents fire and the Islamic faith. While they shouldn't go together, they do. These are just two of the major symbolic themes found in the book, there are many more and they all are intertwined and do so in an impressive way.

While the two mythological creatures come from separate belief systems, Wrecker throws the reader for a loop when the two creatures share a common thread that I didn't see coming and yet it works so well that I am still impressed. However, the story does drag on in spots. The pacing has more than a few lulls that I found distracting. It is the only reason that I can't give the book a stronger score.

Since I chose to listen to the audio book it would be an injustice if I didn't talk about the narrator. George Guidall does an exceptional job, his voice puts you at ease and you just want to sit down and let him take you on a journey.

Overall 7/10