Quote from The Golem and the Jinni
The Golem and the Jinni: A Novel
by Helene Wecker
Harper Perennial, New York, New York, 2014 485 pages
Schaalman appeared not to have slept for some time. His eyes were dark smudges, and he was pale, as though drained of some essential energy. He lit a lamp that hung above the work table, and Rotfeld caught his first true glimpse of his intended.
She was tall, almost as tall as Rotfeld himself, and well- proportioned: a long torso, breasts that were small but firm, a sturdy waist. Her hips were perhaps a bit square, but on her it seemed correct, even appealing. In the dim light he spied the dark shadow between her legs; he glanced away as if disinterested, aware of Schaalman’s mocking eyes, and the pounding of his own blood.
Her face was wide and heart-shaped, her eyes set far apart. They were closed; he could not tell the color. The nose was small and curved under at the tip, above full lips. Her hair was brown and had a slight wave, and was cut to brush her shoulders.
Tentative, half-believing, he placed a hand on her cool shoulder. “It looks like skin. It feels like skin.”
“It’s clay,” said the old man.
“How did you do this?”
The old man smiled, and said nothing.
“And the hair and eyes? The fingernails? Are they clay, too?”
“No, those are real enough,” Schaalman’s said, blandly innocent. Rotfeld remembered handing over the case of money, and wondering what sort of supplies the old man needed to buy. He shivered and decided not to think about it.
They dressed the clay woman and carefully lifted her heavy body into the crate. Her hair tangled about her face as they arranged her, and Rotfeld waited until the old man’s back was turned before gently smoothing it into place again.
Schaalman found a small piece of paper and wrote on it the two necessary commands— one to bring her to life and one to destroy her. He folded the paper twice, and placed it in an oilskin envelope. (pp. 5-6)
-- quote submitted by Oriana K. H.
To visit the blog and see more reviews and quotes from books in the collection of Center for Sacred Sciences' Library, click here https://centerforsacredscienceslibrary.blogspot.com
“And the hair and eyes? The fingernails? Are they clay, too?”
“No, those are real enough,” Schaalman’s said, blandly innocent. Rotfeld remembered handing over the case of money, and wondering what sort of supplies the old man needed to buy. He shivered and decided not to think about it.
They dressed the clay woman and carefully lifted her heavy body into the crate. Her hair tangled about her face as they arranged her, and Rotfeld waited until the old man’s back was turned before gently smoothing it into place again.
Schaalman found a small piece of paper and wrote on it the two necessary commands— one to bring her to life and one to destroy her. He folded the paper twice, and placed it in an oilskin envelope. (pp. 5-6)
-- quote submitted by Oriana K. H.
To visit the blog and see more reviews and quotes from books in the collection of Center for Sacred Sciences' Library, click here https://centerforsacredscienceslibrary.blogspot.com