The Yiddish Policeman's Union

Michael Chabon’s recent book The Yiddish Policeman’s Union is an alternate history of the Jews since WWII. The republic of Israel collapsed in 1948 and the United States allowed a temporary settlement for the displaced Jews in Sitka, Alaska. Now the U.S. government has decided to retract Sitka and will evict all Jews without proper papers. In the midst of this nightmare, police detective Meyer Landsman is called to investigate a murder. The victim turns out to be a heroin-addicted chess prodigy, who is the son of Sitka’s most powerful rabbi. Landsman’s attempts to solve the case almost get him killed, but he manages to uncover a terrorist conspiracy involving Orthodox Jewish gangsters. Like Sitka, the story is bleak and dreary. Landsman is an alcoholic who can’t seem to come to grips with his demons. But Chabon makes him a character that you care about and root for. The plot seems somewhat far-fetched, but Chabon’s talent for storytelling will keep readers turning the pages.

Chabon will be releasing his next novel, Gentlemen of the Road in November. The novel originally appeared in 15 installments in the New York Times Magazine from January to May of 2007. The book is a historical adventure novel, set in 950 A.D. A pair of wandering adventurers, and African and a Jew, get caught up in the schemes and battles that follow a bloody coup in the great medieval Jewish empire of the Khazars. According to Publisher’s Weekly, Chabon has also signed a two book deal with Harper Collins. The first book will be non-fiction, scheduled for release in the Spring of 2009. The second book, scheduled for release in 2011, will be a contemporary novel set in the Bay area.