Solitaire Book Club: The Golem and the Jinni

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker. A masterless golem who can pass for a human woman (albeit a tall one) and a jinni freed from captivity but bound to human form find themselves in 1899 New York City and cross paths with a Syrian tinsmith, a Jewish social worker, a rich ingenue, a wise rabbi, a cursed ice cream vendor, and a mad wizard. Not so much magical realism as it is realistic fantasy, the story is really one of exploring desire, regret, the source of one's identity and the nature of love all while providing enough suspense, danger, and mystery to make it a page-turner.

 

Although I just discovered it, this book came out ten years ago; I even more recently found out that Wecker published a sequel two years ago. That one will certainly be added to the list.

Solitaire Book Club: Tales from the Cafe

Tales from the Cafe by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. This book is the second in series. The first book (reviewed here) was charming and insightful in its examination of human emotions through the conceit of time travel; the first sequel attempts the same lyricism but hits some false notes. Part of the joy of the original stories was how much was left unsaid or unexplained; this volume fills in too many blanks - one character has even investigated all the incidents recounted in the first book! The focus is also shifting from the (formerly) enigmatic waitress, the original main protagonist, to the daughter of the cafe owner, who I just found mostly annoying.

 

 A bit of a sophomore slump here, but I will still check out the next volume.