{"id":39713,"date":"2021-07-18T23:12:56","date_gmt":"2021-07-19T03:12:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=39713"},"modified":"2021-07-18T23:12:56","modified_gmt":"2021-07-19T03:12:56","slug":"review-of-the-hidden-palace-by-helene-wecker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=39713","title":{"rendered":"Review of The Hidden Palace, by Helene Wecker"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The Hidden Palace<\/em><\/p>\n

by Helene Wecker<\/p>\n

Harper (HarperCollins), 2021. 472 pages.
\nReview written July 14, 2021, from my own copy, purchased via Amazon.com
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

I loved The Golem and the Jinni<\/a><\/em> so much, I preordered this book as soon as I heard that there was a sequel. I think you\u2019ll enjoy this more if you\u2019ve read the first book (and you definitely want to read it!), but even though it had been eight years since I read the first book, the important parts came back to me as I read.<\/p>\n

Like the first book, I\u2019m tempted to call this Historical rather than Fantasy, because the historical details of life in New York, both the Syrian neighborhoods and the Jewish neighborhoods, ring true. This comes after the crisis of the first book, and talks about what\u2019s next for the golem and the jinni, now they\u2019ve found each other. How do you build a life when your lifespan goes far beyond your human neighbors?<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, we find out about two other creatures like our heroes: There’s a golem whose master is the young orphaned daughter of a rabbi, hiding in an orphanage. And across the sea, there’s a jinniyeh, outcast from her own kind because she can tolerate touching iron, but who hears about the iron-bound jinni who lives across the sea.<\/p>\n

Chaya the golem still hears the thoughts of all around her, so she discovers when they notice that she\u2019s not ageing. She\u2019s going to need to make a new life for herself. Ahmad the jinni is much less deliberate. When his partner dies, he becomes obsessed with making a palace out of metal inside their warehouse. And when someone who doesn\u2019t need to eat or sleep becomes obsessed, he can truly withdraw from the world.<\/p>\n

This is another rich tapestry of a book, dealing with two people who aren\u2019t actually human, but who are full of nuance. Can they stay in each other\u2019s lives, or are they too different? This book feels completely realistic as it explores this question. We also see how each one has become part of a community, and lives all around them are touched by their existence. And we’ve got further thoughts about what it means to be human from the perspective of those who, technically, are not human at all.<\/p>\n

This is a wonderful follow-up to an amazing story.<\/p>\n

harpercollins.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Fiction\/hidden_palace.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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