The Golem and the Jinni

I usually a fast reader, but there was something about this book that encouraged me to read more deliberately. It's a masterwork. ( )

Gripping, seductive, dream-like and philosophical. A chronicle of religion and dangerous magic and faith and a portrait of early immigrant New York; also a fairy tale and a love story (or three). Delicious. ( )

This is now the book that I am recommending to everyone. Read it! It is not what you expect; it is better than you expect. ( )

Narrated by George Guidall. A golem and a jinni meet in New York City and become unlikely friends, intimately and yet unwittingly connected by their outlier status. This simple summary does no justice to Guidall's stunningly enthralling performance. He fully renders each character with personality and verve so that listeners become invested in each character's journey. His sense of nuance is exquisite. He could present the dictionary and I would hang on every word. Excellent, transportive listening for a long road trip or insufferable commute. ( )

I am trying to go through my audio library and listen to the audiobooks I had bought but never listened to. This book was one of them. I was interested in it enough to buy it, but then never listened to it because I worried that it would end up being a fancifully written high fantasy with too many characters, an overdesigned world, and a plot that was impossible to follow or interpret.

Fortunately, this book was nothing like I expected it to be and I am sorry it took me so long to listen to it.

It is a beautiful, masterful blend of historical fiction, cultural and spiritual and moral exploration, and human (and not-so-human) nature and relationships all woven together across time and many lives. It explores the ties that bind us all (whether we know it or not), the decisions (big or small) that change our lives, the experiences (good or bad) that shape who we are and our perspective of life, and the lies we tell to hide the truths we cannot face or want to protect others from (for one reason or another). This book could easily have been a disaster, were it not for the author's clean and matter-of-fact writing style. ( )