The Golem and the Jinniby Helene Wecker

Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life to by a disgraced rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. When her master-the husband who commissioned her-dies at sea on the voyage from Poland, she 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 by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop. Though he is no longer imprisoned, Ahmad is not entirely free-an unbreakable band of iron around his wrist binds him to the physical world.Overwhelmed by the incessant longing and fears of the humans around her, the cautious and tentative Chava-imbued with extraordinary physical strength-fears losing control and inflicting harm. Baptized by the tinsmith who makes him his apprentice, the handsome and capricious Ahmad-an entity of inquisitive intelligence and carefree pleasure-chafes at monotony and human dullness. Like their immigrant neighbors, the Golem and the Jinni struggle to make their way in this strange new place while masking the supernatural origins that could destroy them. (snipped for length)(goodreads.com)

This was not a book I was able to read quickly. That isn't a bad thing, just a weird one for me. I am so used to just skipping through books like they are candy. I tried to read this book in small bursts and on the train ride to Toronto, but I just couldn't focus on it. There was an entire middle-grade class AND a screaming baby on the 4.5 hour trip and even with my headphones on I could not find the brain space to focus on this book.The Golem and the Jinni is a beautiful book. The writing, the mood the characters are all so dense. This is real literature and therefore I have trouble reading it at my regular pace. I needed to savour every word and sentence. I was lost in the many side stories for each of the characters we met. I loved the Rabbi who ends up caring for Chava. I loved Chava. The Jinni grew on me because at first I didn't care much for him.The way all of these stories are woven together was just magic. Think of liquid gold swirling through the night sky. Fire and fog mixing together. There was a hushed sort of feeling surrounding me as I read. I was comforted and disturbed at the same time. Curious and calm. And then, with the last quarter of the book, a sense of urgency as things started to come together.I felt like I was reading forever when I really only read about 20 pages in a sitting at the start. The story wasn't boring in any way, it was just a story you cannot rush through. You really have to wade through each page in order to digest and savour it. It's such a dense and meaty book that you need to devote the time to spend with it, lest you be robbed of the magic it holds.I first heard about this novel from The Savvy Reader back in the fall. She tweeted that she couldn't wait for spring and the release of this book into the world. Once she linked to the summary I knew I had to obtain this book. The title, the cover and the summary just ate at my soul until everything ached for this book. The only way I could stop thinking about it was to go out to the store and buy it and that's what I did, the day before it was actually due out. However, because I couldn't find the time to devote to the novel, I ended up reading it slower than I wanted to. In the end, I am happy I spent a day, once I was home from my trip and off from work, to finish this story. I read outside in the sun on the back deck in my rocking chair. I read in the shade. I read in the house. I read all over the place that one day until every last drop of story was done and I could close the book with a contented sigh.The Golem and the Jinni truly is an amazing, beautiful book and I am so happy it came into my life.