Ask Helene!

[Helene, Author of The Golem and the Jinni]

Karen wrote: "Hi Helene,

Thank you for writing such a fascinating and engaging book! I simply loved it. I rarely give a book five stars here on Goodreads, but I did for this one. Thank you also for taking the t..."

Hi Karen! Thanks for your lovely comments!

I get asked about a movie version quite often. For the record, I'd love to see a version of THE GOLEM AND THE JINNI on the big screen, but I'm certainly not counting on it. I know that Hollywood is a strange and fickle place, and I've heard a lot of stories of rights to a book being bought by a production company, only to sit on a shelf for the next decade. So even if someone buys the rights, that's no guarantee that a movie will ever get made. In the meantime, I've decided to live in blissful ignorance of the whole Hollywood process, until such time as I have reason to do otherwise. :-)

[Helene, Author of The Golem and the Jinni]

Angela wrote: "Helene, Hello!
I just wanted to tell you how amazing your book is. I loved the characters you created and enjoyed every page.
I hope to see this on the big screen someday (Naveen Andrews as the Ji..."

Thanks, Angela! (Naveen Andrews? Hmmm...)

I'm glad someone asked about the cover! I love it too, even more so because it came as a complete surprise. I had no idea what they were going to do for the cover; and I'd never been able to envision what I wanted the cover to look like, either. So when they sent me the mockup PDF and opened it, I had no idea what to expect. But instantly I thought, "How could it be anything else?" It just fit the book so perfectly. I'll be forever indebted to that cover designer.

As for the blue edges, I got a call from my editor a few weeks after I first saw the cover, saying, "We're going to put blue edges on the book! We've never done that before!" I was totally shocked. I doubt they would've done it if the cover wasn't so gorgeous -- they just seem to fit together. They only did the blue edges on the first printing, alas. When I see hardcovers without the blue edges, they look a little naked.

[Helene, Author of The Golem and the Jinni]

John wrote: "Afternoon, Ms. Wecker.

I've read your book and loved it thoroughly. I was particularly drawn to the character of Chava the golem; to her vulnerability, her curiosity, and her unique way that she i..."

Hi John! The Golem's character evolved quite a bit over time. At first she was much more robot-like, but that made her hard to identify with, and it meant that she couldn't interact very well with the people around her. Eventually I rewrote her character and added her ability to feel the fears and desires of people around her. That gave her more of a window into humanity; it meant she could comprehend what was going on around her, even if she didn't understand what it all meant. The rest of her character sort of fell out from there. (And to be honest, there's a little of me in her too, though she certainly isn't based on me. I tend towards the cautious, anxious end of the personality spectrum, just as she does.)

[Valerie]

Wow, I am lucky, too mine is a First edition too, with the beautiful cover. I loved the arches as well. Wonderful book and beautiful cover. Thank you

[Helene, Author of The Golem and the Jinni]

Brooke wrote: "In my copy of the book, I read an interview transcript in which you said it took 7 years to write The Golem and the Jinni. As a former English teacher, I often told my students good writing takes t..."

Hi Brooke! Thanks so much for your lovely comments, and for asking about Michael too. I feel like he gets overlooked sometimes. He's sort of the shy unsung hero of the book, in a way.

(MAJOR SPOILER ALERT)

In the first version of the ending, Michael was injured badly, but didn't die. There was a scene at the very end that showed him walking with the Golem in Central Park, and they discuss getting a divorce. I was afraid that if I killed him, the Golem would blame herself for his death and never recover from it. But then, while I was rewriting the ending, I decided to do it anyway. Like you said, it's as much about Schaalman's anger as it is about Michael's character. But Michael does stand up to Schaalman, knowing that he's causing his own death, because he's incapable of lying or begging or dissembling, even to save himself. There's a line in the book about Michael, something like, "He'd never learned to deceive himself." I decided was the key to his character, and I followed it as closely as I could.

[Helene, Author of The Golem and the Jinni]

Sofen wrote: "I loved your book. Being Muslim, I've heard a lot of Bedouin tales and stories from the desert, even though they were more religiously centered. This book was beautiful and rich in culture and myth..."

Hi Sofen! "One tried too hard while the other didn't particularly care at all..." What a great description of their characters! Do you mind if I borrow it? :-)

I've answered most of your questions elsewhere in the chat, so I'm going to focus on your last one, whether I'm a feminist. The answer is an unequivocal yes, although I'm not always the best feminist I could be. I'm constantly amazed by how ingrained some of my gendered responses are: thinking men's voices are more authoritative than women's, lending more weight to men's opinions, and so on. I have to catch myself quite often. And I need to be better at speaking up when I see it happening elsewhere. Like a lot of women (if not most), I tend to err on the side of being polite. Don't be the shrill muckracker in the room, etc. But ingrained cultural change won't happen until and unless more of us do just that.

I'm lucky, in that I'm in a profession that's culturally acceptable for women. (I know a number of female physicists and engineers who could tell you some hair-curling, blood-boiling tales.) But I also struggle with issues around being a working mom (read: guilt guilt guilt), and all the "having it all"/"trying too hard" baggage that goes along with it. It's all a work in process, and sometimes problematic, but always very very necessary.

[Helene, Author of The Golem and the Jinni]

Becky wrote: "Hello Helen,

I listened to your book on audible. I am really picky about my readers and this recording of your book puts it on the top of my list to tell others about. I wondered if you had any in..."

Hi Becky! I didn't have any input at all into the choice of reader, I just happened to luck out and get the fantastic Mr. Guidall. I've talked to authors who did have input, though -- either choosing among readers, or suggesting a specific type of voice (male vs. female, what sort of accent, etc.). It seems to be the sort of thing that varies from publisher to publisher.

[Helene, Author of The Golem and the Jinni]

Susan wrote: "Hi Helene,thank you for discussing your novel with us. Everyone that I have spoken to in the Jewish community love it. As you know our Jewish community read is coming up in March.

I so want you t..."

Hi Susan! Great to talk to you again! I'm running out of time, so I'll answer your questions as quickly as I can...

I certainly had the current Middle East troubles in mind when I came up with the idea for the book. My main impetus for writing the book came from the similarities in my husband's family and my own family's histories, especially around coming to America. They really seemed to mirror each other, even though my family's Jewish and his is Arab American. It struck me that there's this whole shared history around immigration to America, that doesn't get talked about very often. Jewish and Arab/Muslim cultures are so often (almost always, these days?) presented as "opposing" each other, but my own small-scale observations suggested that something quite different was not only possible, but already existed. So I wanted to write the book to bring out those parallels.

To answer your question about the Golem and baking, I really didn't have it in mind when I was writing it, but you're not the first reader to see the connection! Seems like my readers are smarter than I am. I had someone tell me at a reading that the Golem baking bread felt almost like she was duplicating the act of her own creation. My mouth fell open! It was such an apt observation, and I'd never even considered it. I think that sometimes it really does take a little distance from the text to see this stuff, and I lost that distance a long time ago.

Looking forward to talking to you and the group, Susan!

[Helene, Author of The Golem and the Jinni]

Unfortunately that's all the time I have! Apologies if I missed your question; I wish I could talk to everyone. Maybe next time we can ask Goodreads to take us out for coffee and muffins, and we'll sit and chat together in person. :-)

Thanks to everyone for your comments and your questions. I read them all, and I appreciate each and every one. And of course, many thanks for reading THE GOLEM AND THE JINNI. I'm thrilled every time I hear that someone's picked up my book; I'm still flabbergasted that it's out there in the world, being read by people I don't even know. (I.e., people who aren't my mother.)

All my best, and keep on reading!

Helene

[Becky]

Helene,
This has been fascinating. I just wanted to add how educational your book and this discussion has been for me.
Becky

[Jack]

Helene wrote: "Angela wrote: "Helene, Hello!
I just wanted to tell you how amazing your book is. I loved the characters you created and enjoyed every page.
I hope to see this on the big screen someday (Naveen An..."

Those editions with the blue edges are going to be collector books. I doubt if there are any available, now. I'd snatch one up and start a collection of beautiful books I cherish.

[Jack]

Helene wrote: "Becky wrote: "Hello Helen,

I listened to your book on audible. I am really picky about my readers and this recording of your book puts it on the top of my list to tell others about. I wondered if ..."

I listen to a lot of books and the narrator is vital to do the story justice. If it is just one reader, he or she must be the cast and narrator of the setting and scenery. It is a talent that is not so common. Some novels are narrated by different people, if they are classics and have been around for a while, like Charles Dickens. I am grateful for Goodreads because the narrators I enjoy most are documented in my lists and library.

[Susan]

Jack wrote: "Helene wrote: "Angela wrote: "Helene, Hello!
I just wanted to tell you how amazing your book is. I loved the characters you created and enjoyed every page.
I hope to see this on the big screen som..."

I am one of the lucky ones that received one from the publisher. There is another story behind that one. I was given 10 copies from the publisher for out community read. Not realizing the original book was different than the others. I gave it away and was going to keep one of the others ones. When i found out I did that, I was devastated. Luckily, the person I gave it to was very sweet about it and we did a swap. Now, I keep mine under lock and key!! LOL!!!

[Melanie]

Susan wrote: "Jack wrote: "Helene wrote: "Angela wrote: "Helene, Hello!
I just wanted to tell you how amazing your book is. I loved the characters you created and enjoyed every page.
I hope to see this on the b..."

As a librarian, I noticed this book on our shelves because of the blue-edged pages. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that it was one of my favorite books of 2013! After reading the posts on the discussion about the blue-edged pages only appearing on the first editions, I located a copy on Amazon and promptly purchased it - I can't remember the last time a book affected me so deeply that I wanted to buy it! This book is a total jewel all around...

[Karen]

Helene wrote: "Karen wrote: "Hi Helene,

Thank you for writing such a fascinating and engaging book! I simply loved it. I rarely give a book five stars here on Goodreads, but I did for this one. Thank you also fo..."
Hi,Helene, thank you for your reply. Yes Hollywood is a fickle place but one never knows!! Thank you once more for writing this wonderful and engaging story about Chava and Ahmad!!:):)

[shadid]

Helene wrote: "Sofen wrote: "I loved your book. Being Muslim, I've heard a lot of Bedouin tales and stories from the desert, even though they were more religiously centered. This book was beautiful and rich in cu..."

Ha. I just talked to an author. Ha.
Brb, dying.
Okay. *shudders in disbelief*

[Jacob]

I know I am really late to join the party, but close to a year after reading the book for the first time I am still very in awe. I am in love with stories of Golemn and Djin, but its so rare to find a half decent one, the Golemn and the Djini is quite honestly one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read. You've joined that super race of people we regular folk call "authors", and you did it with a title that matches the best of them. You're up in my top ten authors of all time Helen, I can't wait to see what you do next.

[Harriet]

I agree, it's a truly memorable book and all the novels I've read since have been wanting!