The friends that they have made since being thrust into humanity are threatened.

However, the man who created Chava and imprisoned the jinni in a past life is determined to use their powers to find immortality. Ahmad and Chava also form friendships with the people that surround their daily lives, which often makes Ahmad feel that he is losing his true self. They begin a cautious friendship that often puts them at odds with one another due to their natures of service and freedom. They see each other for who they really are rather than the carefully constructed guises that they have crafted in order to hide. “She saw that it was not a light, but a face and the face belonged to a man… His face – and his hands – shone with that warm light, like a lamp shaded with gauze.” – The Golem and The Jinni by Helene WeckerĬhava takes a chance to walk around New York City one night and she meets Ahmad on one of his nightly walks.

He dreams of his glass palace hidden deep in the desert and is haunted by the memories of a girl that died because of him over a thousand years ago. Though he is praised by all for his ability to create beautiful works of art from iron and tin, he is discontent with his imprisoned life as a human. Taking the name Ahmad, the jinni becomes a citizen of the bustling community of Little Syria under the guise of being a Bedouin immigrant. Shocked at this discovery, the tinsmith takes advantage of his ability to shape metal with a skill that no human could ever master. As he works out the dents and scratches, he releases a jinni. Saved by an old rabbi, Chava is taught the nuances of being a human woman.Īt the same time in Little Syria, a copper flask that was handed down for generations is brought to a tinsmith for repairs. Overwhelmed by the commotion and unaware of the social norms, she is soon in trouble when she tries to feed a starving child from a street cart without paying. Suddenly, she is able to hear the desires and thoughts of those around her. Brought to life at sea, her master soon dies from a ruptured appendix. Chava the golem, a being made of clay brought to life by Kaballah magic, was created for a man who wanted the perfect wife as he made his way to America from Germany.

The Golem and The Jinni follows two mythological beings who struggle to appear human while retaining their true selves in early 1900s New York City. By: Alison Norquist/ Arab America Contributing Writer The Golem and The Jinni by Helene Wecker / An Overview

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