Sometimes the best true story a person can tell needs a little drop of magic in it. Helene Wecker’s “The Golem and the Jinni” has more than a little magic. It is, as the title suggests, a story about a golem and a jinni, both magical creatures, the golem from Jewish folklore and the jinni from Arabian myths. It is also a story of immigrants, love and evil. 

The story begins with a man wanting a wife but no ordinary wife, a golem wife. This golem would be obedient only to him, concerned with only his well-being, but also curious, kind and smart.

An evil wizard makes the wife requested of him, but warns the man to be careful, that a golem is not as gentle as it may seem.

The golem is awakened on a ship to America, where her owner dies. The golem crosses into America as a free golem. There she is going by an old Rabbi and named Chava. 

The jinni is discovered within a clay flask by tinsmith named Arbeely. Overcoming the surprise of a naked man appearing out of nowhere in his shop, Arbeely picked out the name Ahmed for the Jinni and decided to help him integrate into New York society. 

The golem’s maker, on the search for immortality, follows the golem to New York, hoping to find the secret. His interference adds many complications to the golem and the jinni’s lives, to New York itself as well.

The magic is delightfully entertaining, but the underlying story of immigration holds the true magic. Both Chava and Ahmed are new to America. The sprawling city of New York is especially daunting. 

Wecker even mentioned in an interview that at first she had tried writing a story about to actual immigrants, but when it kept falling through, she decided to change the immigrants into magical creatures. The fantasy keeps a reader’s interest.

The chapters alternated points of view, but it was an easy book to follow, where the characters seem like real people you either love or hate to love.

Besides the characters, the other highlight was the way Wecker described the settings of her world. New York had a very daunting and diverse feel. One could feel the hot sun of the Arabian Desert in Ahmed’s flashbacks. Past and present the settings were wonderful.

Throughout the entire book the characters perform acts of love, hatred, fear, desperation and passion. The excitement doesn’t until the last page, and neither do the beautiful and exciting images.

What’s more, the gorgeous cover easily catches anyone’s attention. Anyone interested in golems and jinnis or in a tale of immigrants should definitely look into reading this book.