A Book A Week - Week 19: The Golem and The Jinni

This week's book:
    The Golem and The Jinni   by Helene Wecker

Grade:  A+

Wow.

I didn't know what to expect, this is the author's first novel.  First novels are usually a dicey thing, they can be an epic failure - like Twilight - or just not worth the effort - like Ready Player One.  The Golem and The Jinni is good.  Damned good.  Ms. Wecker is one author I'll follow in the future, so she'd better keep up the quality.

This is historical fiction, because it's set in the 1890's in immigrant-filled New York City, but it's also branded 'magical realism' because the main characters are - surprise - a golem and jinni.  I would argue, however, that it's not 'magical realism' but a legitimate fantasy novel.  Or historical fantasy.  I think those labels would probably hurt sales, though, so I'll go with whatever the publishers decide to call it.

The author very skillfully brings us into the world of immigrants in Manhattan just before the turn of the 20th Century.  I got the feeling that she'd researched until her eyes glazed over, because the setting feels real, as if she were describing something she saw firsthand.  When writers research a different time there's a tendency to put in too much detail, to kind of show off what they learned, but Ms. Wecker does not fall into that trap.  The lower East Side of Manhattan came alive for me.

The characters of the Golem and Jinni, though fantastic and incredible, also came alive.  They're real people instead of allegories or representations of emotional states.  Or, I should say, instead of just allegories, because they are that.  The Golem, being made of clay, is more forthright and dependable and of service to others, while the Jinni, being made of fire, is more volatile and unreliable and self-centered.  Woman and man.  Yeah, there's more than a bit of symbolism here.

I won't go into the story too much, the plot is too good to ruin, but the Golem and Jinni do eventually meet, even though they're part of two entirely different immigrant communities, and they find themselves draw together by circumstances and the tenuous link of history. Well, and neither of them needs to sleep so they have Manhattan in the middle of the night all to themselves.
    I thought at first that I might have been tricked into reading a romance, and to be sure there is romance in the story, but it's really the story of the need to be true to your own nature, even when that comes with consequences.

Ms. Wecker's writing is excellent.  Seamless  She's gone through many, many drafts, I can tell.  Even though the book is long, she keeps the narrative moving, and doesn't toss in anything that doesn't add to the story or that she doesn't resolve at the end.  No dangling plot threads here.
   If I had one quarrel, it would be that the book felt a little too long.  Maybe fifty pages or so.  Not that there were fifty pages I could find to cut immediately, but, you know, 500 words here or there adds up.

If you like fantasy books, but without elves and unicorns and what have you, get this book.  If you like historical fiction, get this book.  If you like good stories that don't end up in a formulaic fashion, get this book.  If you like great writing and a great story, get this book. 

Next week:
   Glock - the Rise of America's Gun   by Paul M. Barrett
   Back to non-fiction next week. And guns.