The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker

I found it hard to believe that this beautiful novel is the debut from writer Helene Wecker.  This is a compelling and intriguing read which, on the face of it, is an urban fantasy but is also partly an examination of the immigrant experience in New York at the end of the nineteenth century and an exploration of how we, as a race, deal with where we fit in the world.

The book follows two creatures of classic folklore as they find themselves having to blend into a new world in order to survive.  Chava is a newly created Golem brought to life by the master she has been made to serve just before he dies.  She has been imbued with intelligence and curiosity as well as the strength and need to serve usually associated with her kind.  Finding herself awakened but without a master she wanders the streets of New York until an elderly Rabbi recognises her true nature and takes her in. WIth the help of the Rabbi, Chava slowly learns to blend in but must learn to ignore the needs of others that she can sense telepathically.

The second major character is Ahmad the Djinn who, unlike Chava, is centuries old and has been confined in a flask for much of that time.  He is released into New York when a local tinsmith is asked to repair the flask.  Ahmad is an arrogant, selfish creature who has no memory of why or how he became trapped and is desperate to be free of the bonds holding him to human form. The tinsmith, Arbeely, helps him to hide by taking him on as his apprentice, though he must hide his gift with metal.  

Their stories run concurrently until they eventually meet.  Though initially complete opposites in age, temperament and outlook the friendship that gradually builds between them becomes vital to them both.  With the story of Ahmad being told in flashback as his memories return he is forced to re-evaluate himself and his motives, just as Chava is made to question herself as events unfold.  Unknown to them they are being tracked by the sorcerer who created Chava.  To begin with he appears to be simply the villain of the piece but Wecker writes Schaalman an equally involved back story.  Ultimately the explanation of his life is superbly done, original and unexpectedly linked more to Ahmad than to his creation Chava.

This is an intelligent and absorbing tale full of passion in various forms - Chava's wish to serve, Ahmad's wish to be free, Schaalman's lust for power and control, Arbeely's desire to make a successful new life.  Filled with an evident love of the period and a detailed knowledge of folklore this is a wonderfully atmospheric and descriptive novel.  It links the old world with its rituals, superstitions and legends to the new world of modernity facing the immigrant community at the time and their struggles for success in a new environment.  I would highly recommend.