The Yiddish Policeman's Union

It’s hard to know what exactly to make of Michael Chabon’s new novel The Yiddish Policeman’s Union.

His idea is interesting, to be sure. Chabon re-draws history from 1948, with the Jews being kicked out of Israel by the Arabs (a war that, in actual history, they won quite soundly). The US offers them a new homeland in Sitka, Alaska, and a new Jewish homeland is born on the Inside Passage. There was a nice bit of humor here — the new residents of Sitka start to refer to themselves as the Frozen Chosen, which cracked me up.

After 60 years of this situation, Alaska finally has enough of the situation and the Feds agree to a “Reversion” of the island back to Alaska, sending the Jews out of their adopted homeland once again.

And that’s the just the backdrop for a book that starts primarily as a murder mystery. At least for awhile. It eventually dabbles in Jewish and Christian eschatology (an awesome word for the study of the End of the World), but eventually winds up where every film noir/detective story does: a land deal of mammoth proportions.

There are some worthwhile bends in the road, but there are also a few hairpin turns that made it hard in a few places.

I had promised myself when I picked it up that I wouldn’t compare it to Chabon’s wonderful Pulitzer Prize-winning The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay but it’s hard to forget that the same author was behind both of these yarns. In many ways this book strikes me as even more audacious than Kavalier and Clay so I respect him for trying, but Chabon just didn’t hit the same out-of-the-park home run again. But it’s still a solid stand-up double.

Look for it at Kings Books.