Book review: The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

What an uncommon and intriguing idea for a novel! A golem—a person made of clay and brought to life by dark Kabbalistic magic—and a jinni—a creature of the Syrian desert made of fire—find each other in 1899 New York City. First-time novelist Helene Wecker conjures a powerful spell with this immigrant tale imbued with Jewish and Arab folklore.

Chava is the golem. Created in Poland to be a man’s wife, she finds herself masterless when the man dies at sea en route to New York. She would not have lasted long alone in the city, but she is discovered by an elderly rabbi who takes her in. He helps her learn how to deal with the incessant needs and emotions she can feel in people when she is near them, and in time, she finds work in a bakery.

Ahmad is the jinni, discovered in a copper flask by a tinsmith in the Little Syria neighborhood of the city. The jinni knows what he is and that he must have been captured by a wizard, but he has no memory of the event, nor is he aware, at first, that 1000 years have passed since he was imprisoned. Like the rabbi with the golem, the tinsmith helps the jinni adjust to life in his new situation. They tell the community that Ahmad is the tinsmith’s new apprentice.

Neither the golem nor the jinni need to sleep, so it is inevitable they should encounter each other in the dark streets of the city one night. They each recognize the other is not human. (“You are made of clay” the jinni says to the golem. “And you are made of fire,” responds the golem.)

Although their natures are opposite—the golem is circumspect, the jinni mercurial—they become friends and spend months exploring New York, both the streets and the rooftops, by foot. When the golem’s creator, a disgraced rabbit obsessed with becoming immortal, is himself drawn to New York, the golem and the jinni find their unlikely friendship, and their very existences, in peril.

In The Goleum and the Jinni, author Helene Wecker brings the disparate elements of her story together into a highly satisfying read. Her characters are thoughtful as well as otherworldly, giving Wecker plenty of opportunity to tackle topics such as free will, love, and community. This she does with a deft hand. The book is lengthy and feels a bit overlong at times, but this is not much of a drawback. Wecker weaves her tapestry of fin de siècle Manhattan and middle-eastern magic so richly, she takes the reader captive.

Book review: The Afterlife of Emerson Tang by Paula Champa

Beth Corvid is an archivist who works for the wealthy art collector Emerson Tang. Beth and Emerson are both solitary, private people, and their arrangement suits them both well until Emerson discloses he has a terminal illness. Then Beth takes on a larger role in his life, coordinating his medical care as well as overseeing his collections.

Emerson is only in his early 30's. He is angry that is life is being cut short and thinks that nothing comes afterward. Beth knows better, because she had a near-death experience as a child, and ever since has felt on the outside of things. She pines for the peace she had during her experience and has no idea what purpose she returned for.

Beth and Emerson discuss what will happen to his art collections after he's gone, but he refuses to talk about the vintage car he acquired without her knowledge, a 1954 Beacon roadster. One day, artist Helene Moreau contacts Emerson. Helene is known for the futurist "Speed paintings" she created by running cars over canvases. She is interested in the Beacon and offers to buy it.

Emerson refuses to sell to Helene and furthermore becomes obsessed with the idea of uniting the body of the car with its original engine. During this quest, Beth meets Miguel Beacon, the grandson of the auto company’s founder who is trying to both revive the brand and invision more sustainable transportation. Miguel offers to help find the engine. The story follows the quest for the engine and its aftermath, each character dealing with the effects of longing, loss, and grieving.

The Afterlife of Emerson Tang is an immensely thoughtful novel. Although much of the plot revolves around a vintage car and first-time novelist Paula Champa provides some interesting ideas on the appeal of cars and speed, the novel mainly deals with death and grief. Emerson struggles against death. Beth has never embraced her own life after her narrow escape from death, and she must figure out how to live without Emerson. Helen Moreau has been stuck in grief over a lost relationship and counts on the car to reignite her creative spark. Miguel is striving to deal with the demise of his grandfather’s company by both reviving it and making something new.

Champa's gorgeous, intelligent writing provides many memorable passages. One of my favorites: "What is a vehicle but a private capsule? One in which the mundane errands and memorable adventures of a life are accomplished. By some alchemy, through this constant association, a mingling, a transmutation can occur. In memories alone, a car is capable of encapsulating and entire life. Or more than one."

I found part one of the book ("The Body") completely engrossing, and I loved all the questions it raised. Part two ("The Engine") failed to deliver on the promise of the first for me. The addition of Miguel at this point (he does not appear in part one) and his coincidental relationships was a hindrance rather than a help. I actually wish he had been left out, because all the pieces were in place without him. Beth, Emerson, and Helene’s story, with its philosophical questions about cars, life, and death, was enough for me.

Regardless, Champa’s ambitious debut provides plenty of food for thought. I may never look at cars in quite the same way again.