The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Michael Chabon’s novel “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” is a deeply satisfying tale set amidst the heyday of the American comic book. An unlikely setting for a novel? Perhaps, but Chabon is a master of quirky settings, and equally quirky characters.
The story moves between Prague and New York; before, during, and after World War Two. The lives of two young cousins become intertwined, one a Jewish refugee from the Nazis who have occupied Czechoslovakia, the other a smart-aleck Brooklyn kid. As the events of the tale play out, these two form a partnership that will blaze a trail in the new world of the American comic book. Joseph Kavalier is the artist, the young man with the pen and ink. Sammy Clay is the idea kid, the story writer of the partnership. They learn the ropes of the comic book business, abused and taken advantage of by the guys with the money, older men who drain off their talents and ideas.
The comic book business is the vehicle that carries the story, but it is only a small part of the tale. Beneath it all looms the image of the Golem, the anthropomorphic being of Jewish folklore. The Golem of Prague is the vehicle by means of which Joe Kavalier escapes from Prague. The metaphor of the Golem is rooted deeply in each of the characters. Formed from the mud of the river, the Golem of Prague is made animate by the touch of the Rabbi’s hand. The mark on the forehead is then wiped clean, leaving a trace. The mark of the Golem follows each of these characters, Joe and Sammy, Rosa and Tommy. The idea of the Golem represents the possibility of transformation, as well as a link to the past. War and peace, community and isolation, hope and despair, the living idea formed of clay is made manifest throughout the events of this sprawling storyline.
The motif of escape plays a large part in this novel. Escape becomes a character in the many references to Harry Houdini, the famous escape artist. Joe Kavalier is a trained lock-picker and escape artist, skills he learned from a mysterious magician in Prague. Yet he cannot escape his past, the truth of which he carries with him no matter where his adventures take him. Nor can Sammy Clay escape his past, his longing for an absent father, or his desire for the true love that society abhors.
Chabon creates complex, highly developed characters with whom the reader can readily identity and care for. As is typical with his work, Chabon inserts historical characters into his narrative, peppering the tale with the likes of Harry Houdini, Max Ernst, Salvador Dali, and the comic book icon Stan Lee. The result is a moving, complex, and fascinating tale.
“The Amazing Adventure of Kavalier & Clay” will appeal to a broad segment of readers. If you are a fan of historical novels, this is a great view of Pre- and Post-World War Two New York. If you grew up dog-earing the pages of comic books, this is a wonderful history of the birth that beloved genre. Readers who like a quirky love story will find both love lost and love found.
I am, admittedly, a big fan of Michael Chabon’s work. If I was going to recommend only one of his novels, this would be it.
And, in a quick pause for the cause…
