The Golem and the Jinni, by Helene Wecker

I was recently at the Midwinter meeting of the ALA and picked upr The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker and was very impressed. She first introduces us to the Golem, a woman made of clay and brought to life by Kabbalistic magic, who arrives alone in turn-of-the-century New York City. Then we meet the Jinni, who also arrives alone in Manhattan. We follow parallel storylines that are both complicated yet easy to follow as we discover the “back story” of these two characters even as we follow their adventures in New York. In an amazing series of twists and turns, all the storylines are brought together in the final confrontation of the book.

Ms. Wecker describes the magic in wonderfully understated terms. She also is very creative in filling in the gaps or “unpacking” the legendary origins of golems and jinn, unting her own imagination to traditional lore. The portrait of immigrant New York is also exquisite.

My only difficulty with The Golem and the Jinni was making myself read it slowly enough to appreciate the language and the story when I wanted to rush ahead to see what happens next!