THE GOLEM AND THE DJINNI
Helene Wecker
It’s New York, 1899, and among the throngs of immigrants are
two very unusual beings – one is a female golem, whose master died en route to
America. The other is a djinni who travelled – as djinnis do – in a copper
flask. Both golem and djinni must establish themselves and work through their
destinies. And of course, before too long, they meet each other and a very
unusual friendship is forged.
This magic realist novel is unlike anything I’ve read before.
In fact it’s more real than magic – the golem, Chava, and the djinni, Ahmad,
are as believable as you or I. Chava responds to the hopes and fears of all
those she meets; Ahmad is a creature of fire and intolerant of the humans
around him. Chava wishes to be bound;
Ahmad, to be free.
New York is beautifully realised, and the portrait of the
Jewish community of the Lower East Side is brilliantly done. A host of rich,
minor characters flesh out this novel and make it an utterly absorbing read.
You can find it on Amazon here ...
And the second is a link to a Times of Israel blog on shy Zionists penned by Anthony Ashworth-Steen, Informal Education Director of UJIA and husband of a student rabbi ...
The novel and the blog are not connected, but both will make you think!
