It is 1899 in New York City. Immigrants arrive daily at Ellis Island, hoping to start again in the new world. Two lost souls disembark separately but are drawn inexorably to each other, each trapped in their own way. Somehow the two strangers find solace in their shared otherness.It may sound familiar, but what sets this book apart is that the main characters are a golem and a jinni, creatures from Jewish and Arabic legend, respectively. The jinni arrived in a flask and was released (just like in the stories) by a man rubbing the bottle, and the golem was abandoned when her master died on the crossing to America. Both are rudderless, lost, and utterly opposite. They must learn together how to survive in the human world and avoid those who would expose their secret.
Helene Wecker's debut novel, The Golem and the Jinni, is difficult to describe. It is engaging, enthralling, and accessible, and captures perfectly what it is to be an outsider. The characters are multifaceted, deep, and flawed people who should not be friends but somehow find strength and understanding in each other. It is a fairy tale, yet viscerally real at the same time, and Wecker has succeeded in creating a world where fantasy and reality effortlessly intertwine.
Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian
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