Product Description


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.


Review


A fascinating blend of historical fiction and Jewish and Arab folklore.-- "Library Journal"


A mystical and highly original stroll through the sidewalks of New York.-- "Booklist"


A spellbinding blend of fantasy and historical fiction.-- "Publishers Weekly"


An intoxicating fusion of fantasy and historical fiction...The book's magic, filtered through the old-time hustle and bustle of the Lower East Side, lingers long after the final page. Grade: A.-- "Entertainment Weekly"


An inventive and utterly lovely story.-- "Washington Post"


Dive in and happily immerse yourself, forgetting the troubles of daily life for a while. The Golem and the Jinni offers just such an absorbing experience.-- "USA Today"


From its eerie opening pages to its shattering conclusion, The Golem and the Jinni is an astonishing debut novel that sweeps us into a gaslit alternate reality rich enough to get lost in.-- "Tom Reiss, New York Times bestselling author of The Black Count"


History, magic, and religion braid together in old New York's tenements...The interplay of loyalties and the struggle to assert reason over emotion keep the pages flipping.-- "New York Times Book Review"


Magical thinking comes alive in an enchanting allegory of the immigrant experience as two mythical beings try to make sense of themselves and the world around them.-- "Family Circle"


Masterful...utterly unique and enchanting.-- "Barnes & Noble, editorial review"


The author makes you care enough about the humanity of these magical spirits to not only see them through to the end but also to regret that you've reached the last page.-- "New York Times"


Wecker maintains her novel's originality as she orchestrates a satisfying and unpredictable ending. The Golem and the Jinni is a continuous delight-provocative, atmospheric, and superbly paced.-- "Boston Globe"


Wecker writes skillfully, nicely evoking the layers of alienness that fall upon strangers in a strange land.-- "Kirkus Reviews"


With the intimate feel of a story handed down from generation to generation...the novel explores what it means to be human as Chava and Ahmad struggle to live and find love while overcoming the powerful adversary who threatens to destroy them.-- "Deborah Harkness, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Life"


About the Author


Helene Wecker received a BA from Carleton College in Minnesota and an MFA from Columbia University in New York. A Chicago-area native who has made her home in Minneapolis, Seattle, and New York, she now lives near San Francisco with her husband and daughter. The Golem and the Jinni is her first novel.


George Guidall has recorded over a thousand audiobooks and is the recipient of eighty AudioFile Earphones Awards and two Audie Awards for Excellence in Audiobook Narration, as well as a Special Achievement Award in 2014 from the Audio Publishers Association. His forty-year acting career includes starring roles on Broadway, an Obie Award for best performance off Broadway, and frequent television appearances.