AUTHOR: Helene Wecker
As wonderful as Wecker's The Golem and the Jinni is, to me, this sequel was even better. The first book was an exploration of humanity. Could magical creatures, one an iron-bound energy being stuck in human form and another a clay being brought to life truly be human? There was a sinister undertone, too, to the first book, with threats to their very existence. In this book, Ahmad the Jinni and Chava the Golem are quietly living their lives, hiding their true nature inearly-1900s New York City. The danger of discovery and possible extinction has lessened considerably, provided they're careful. As the years pass, their emotional lives deepen, leading to more character development. Real world events are worked in seamlessly, such as the Titanic disaster and the start of World War I.
Characters from the previous book as well as new ones get caught up in the Jinni and Golem's lives, including the daughter of an Orthodox rabbi who has secrets of her own, the son of Chava's friend Anna whohas been haunted by a nightmare since he was a baby, and an exiled female jinni searching for the iron-bound jinni of legend. Wecker weaves their stories together and brings them to a satisfying ending that is also a beginning. I hope she writes more with these characters I've come to love.
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