There is an easy assumption to be made that Helene Wecker’s The Golem and the Djinni probably offers some kind of “why can’t we all get along” parable for the state of the world today.
Both creatures are rooted in cultures that in our time have become associated with bitter and unresolved, perhaps unresolvable conflict. Djinni – or djinn – are a rarely glimpsed race of entities made of fire whose presence is acknowledged in the Quran, along with mankind and angels. Golem – a less familiar concept here – are brutish creatures of mud from Hebrew mythology, conjured into life using ancient Kabbalistic spells to serve a single master.
So if an Islamic djinni and a Jewish golem can bond in an unlikely friendship in the most difficult of circumstances, then why can’t we have peace in the Middle East? Wecker’s debut novel has nothing to do with contemporary tensions between Islam and Judaism, and everything to do with loneliness, alienation, loss and the need for companionship. In other words, despite the otherworldliness of the protagonists, the human condition.
Ahmad, the djinni, has been trapped for hundreds of years in a copper flask under a magician’s spell. Transported at the turn of the 19th century from Greater Syria to New York by a Maronite refugee, the flask is sent for repair to a metal worker, who inadvertently breaks the spell and suddenly discovers, on his workshop floor, a naked man who can mould metal with his bare hands.
Just a few blocks away, on the Lower East Side, is another melting pot, this time a rapidly swelling community of Jews fleeing the pogroms of eastern Europe. Among them is the golem, later to acquire the name Chava, fashioned so exquisitely by her creator that she resembles a striking young woman.
The golem’s life is already one of tragedy, although she has no concept of such a sensation. Created in the old country as a surrogate wife, her only master dies of a burst appendix on board the steamship that is bringing both to a new life in the New World. Now bereft of purpose, Chava wanders the streets of Manhattan’s transplanted shtetl until she is recognised and rescued by a kindly elderly rabbi.
For Ahmad and Chava, the first challenge is to survive and find their place in this alien world. This is often the immigrant’s tale, but here made all the more difficult by not just having to pass as Americans but also humans.
Both the golem and djinni are in daily, casual peril. Possessed of incredible strength and the ability to sense – and the desire to help – the needs of any passing stranger, the golem can also be destroyed with a single sentence that will return her to clay.
The djinni, bound to human form by an unbreakable iron band placed on his wrist by his ancient jailer, can be destroyed by water but also undone if anyone sees through his external human appearance to his fiery essence.
In time, both creatures make a passable stab at passing for people. Ahmed assists the one person who knows his secret – the Syrian tinsmith who liberated him – and acquires a reputation as a superb craftsman. The golem, posing as a widow, finds work in a bakery, tirelessly creating culinary masterpieces (neither she nor the djinni need sleep) and with an unnatural intuition for customer service that astonishes her employers.
Despite more or less successfully pulling off this trick, the two instantly recognise their otherworldliness after a chance encounter in the street. The friendship that develops is at the core of the novel. There is no hint of romance – neither is capable of such a highly personal emotional engagement – but there is companionship and intimacy of a kind.
It is this – not humanity obviously, maybe spirit? – that drives the novel over almost 500 pages.
Wecker’s background – she is Jewish, her husband Arab-American – informs the narrative but does not dictate it. In its way, this is secular work. Both the golem and djinni are magical creations but live outside the faiths that determine them. Indeed, Ahmad is openly scornful about the existence of God. In a city of millions, both creatures are cut off from everyone but each other.
Towards the end, the golem and the djinni must confront an enemy that threatens to destroy them both. As the sense of impending tragedy that has haunted the narrative from the opening pages threatens to sweep away these creatures of myth, the reader’s only too human hope is that they survive.
James Langton is a senior editor at The National.
THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
more from Janine di Giovanni
Teaching in coronavirus times
Four-day collections of TOH
Day Indian Rs (Dh)
Thursday 500.75 million (25.23m)
Friday 280.25m (14.12m)
Saturday 220.75m (11.21m)
Sunday 170.25m (8.58m)
Total 1.19bn (59.15m)
(Figures in millions, approximate)
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPowertrain%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20electric%20motor%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E201hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E310Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E53kWh%20lithium-ion%20battery%20pack%20(GS%20base%20model)%3B%2070kWh%20battery%20pack%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E350km%20(GS)%3B%20480km%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C900%20(GS)%3B%20Dh149%2C000%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The Bio
Amal likes watching Japanese animation movies and Manga - her favourite is The Ancient Magus Bride
She is the eldest of 11 children, and has four brothers and six sisters.
Her dream is to meet with all of her friends online from around the world who supported her work throughout the years
Her favourite meal is pizza and stuffed vine leaves
She ams to improve her English and learn Japanese, which many animated programmes originate in
THE SPECS
GMC Sierra Denali 1500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Price: Dh232,500
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Quick facts on cancer
- Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases
- About one in five men and one in six women will develop cancer in their lifetime
- By 2040, global cancer cases are on track to reach 30 million
- 70 per cent of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries
- This rate is expected to increase to 75 per cent by 2030
- At least one third of common cancers are preventable
- Genetic mutations play a role in 5 per cent to 10 per cent of cancers
- Up to 3.7 million lives could be saved annually by implementing the right health
strategies
- The total annual economic cost of cancer is $1.16 trillion
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The five pillars of Islam
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
