The Golem and the Djinni

· HarperCollins UK
4.5
29 reviews
Ebook
656
Pages
Eligible
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About this ebook

‘One of only two novels I've ever loved whose main characters are not human’ BARBARA KINGSOLVER

For fans of The Essex Serpent and The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock.

‘By far my favourite book of of the year’ Guardian

One cold night, two newcomers emerge onto the streets of 1899 New York, and it is never the same again.

But these two are more than strangers to this land, they are strangers to this world. From the depths of folkloric history come Chava the golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a disgraced rabbi and Ahmad, a djinni, born in the ancient Syrian desert and trapped in an old copper flask released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop.

Two companions who were never meant to be released, and never meant to meet. And when they do, their opposing natures will be sealed by a special bond, but one that is threatened by watching eyes, roaming owners and a misunderstanding world.

A glittering gem of a novel, as spell-binding as it is compelling, The Golem and The Djinni asks us what we’re made of and how we can break free.

Ratings and reviews

4.5
29 reviews
Annie Tee
April 28, 2024
Beautifully written, with complex, old world characters whose voices are by turns earthy or elegant. Each offers differing perspectives of life and fate but sharing the same, common desires; for love, acceptance and the possibility of justice. A mythical journey through magic, culture and religious faith set amid the dizzying tumult and enormity of New York city at the turn of the century. At ground level in a big city are smaller communities, in which there are friends to be made and, learning to trust in friends, we may also learn to trust ourselves. Finding the balance between good & evil, discovering the place within ourselves where we can live with our flaws and our triumphs, is a universal theme explored vividly here, with the timeless elegance of a great story and the eloquence of a great story teller.
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Peta Johnson
May 30, 2018
Couldn't put it down. It resonated so deeply with me that I read one other book and now I'm back to re-read it again because I miss the characters.
1 person found this review helpful
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Bernard Marshall
August 28, 2019
A fantastic tale. Thoroughly enjoyable read with a very interesting story line. Well written. One of the best books I have read in a long time.
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About the author

Helene Wecker grew up near Chicago, and received her MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in New York. Her work has been published in the online magazine Joyland, and she has read from her stories at the KGB Bar in New York and the Barbershop Reading Series in San Francisco. After a dozen years of moving around between both coasts and the Midwest, she now lives near San Francisco with her husband and daughter. The Golem and the Djinni is her first novel.

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