Art, magic, and friendship in Kavalier & Clay
a book where every page is an adventure. all 600+ of it.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
You finish a book, you smile, you feel contented, and realize this is what you want to do for the rest of your life - reading great stories. This is what Kavalier and Clay is to me.
A friend once told me that she's never been the type to fangirl anything even if she loved something so much. When she consumes a show or a movie or any form of pop culture, when she's done with that piece, she moves on. I, on the other hand, am the opposite. I let that piece of art consume me. I go through hours down the Reddit rabbit hole to read everything about that book, movie, show or what have you. I will search any podcast related to the topic and it's the only thing I will listen for days. I simply love knowing how a thing came to be.
I love reading about origin stories. I love to know the journey a person went through to create that art. I love to geek out. I love books about creative partnerships. This is why I primarily loved Kavalier and Clay so much.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon is an epic book that follows the lives of two Jewish cousins, Czech immigrant and artist Joe Kavalier and Brooklyn-born writer Sammy Clay. They become major figures in the comics industry from its early years and into its Golden Age. The book opens in 1939 where Sammy meets Joe who, with the help of his escape master, just smuggled himself out of Nazi-invested Prague and into the home of his cousin and aunt in New York City. Together, they create The Escapist, an anti-fascist superhero born out of Joe and Sammy's aspirations, background, and traits. The book spans several years and covers, well, the adventures of Sammy and Joe together, and individually.
Sammy is the visionary of the duo. He is young, scrappy, and hungry. He is as astute as he can be. Yes, I borrowed those lines from Hamilton because this also an immigrant story (although Sammy is not the immigrant in this story). He is a great writer and his biggest strength is developing vivid and well thought of characters. Joe pitches an idea to him and Sammy makes that character alive. Sammy always wanted to be rich and famous and that's why he is constantly searching for the next big thing. He is always dreaming of achieving something bigger, shinier, more high-brow, and more sophisticated. He kind of looks down on comic books and pulp fiction but never really tries to get out of it. In the book, Sammy deals with personal issues that presents itself in his work. Chabon writes Sammy as having imposter syndrome. I liked that Chabon added that dimension to Sammy because it adds another layer to his character. Writers and artists after all are prone to imposter syndrome. Sammy is always in awe of Joe being the somebody he wanted to be but could never be and he is fine with that.
Joe, in my opinion, is the heart of the book. Joe Kavalier is a brilliant artist and is trained in the art of Houdini-esque escape. While Sammy's goal is fame and fortune, Joe's singular focus in New York is to earn enough to afford passage for his family and have them live a new and comfortable life in New York. Joe feels unworthy having been chosen by his family to be the first to leave Prague especially after knowing that his parents has sold all their possessions for his passage. He regrets his last day in Prague having barely said anything to his family on the way to the train. Before they part, Joe promises his brother, Thomas, that he will come back for him.
I loved reading about Joe's life back in Prague. Before there was Sammy and Joe, there was Joe and Thomas. Thomas is Joe's younger brother, companion, and friend whom he had a lot of adventures with. Back in Prague, the two brothers both pursue various interests which was such a pleasure to read. Joe went to art school and Thomas pursued music. When Thomas wanted to be Houdini, Joe wanted to become an escape artist. Chabon writes about Thomas so lovingly that I knew he is going to break my heart.
When I was listening to podcasts about this book after reading it, Chabon said that it was important to him to portray male friendships well because he rarely sees it in other media. Ah, male friendships. It's such a precious thing and it is beautifully written in the book. Sure, Joe and Sammy are related which kind of obliges them to be friends but they go out of their way to look out for each other.
There are so many scenes that I love in this book but my favorite is the first time the cousins meet. The scene was full of tenderness and admiration for each other that we will get to see all through out the book. I loved reading about these two well fleshed-out characters! As I write this review, I see the book sitting on my shelf and I look at it tenderly the way Sammy looks at Joe when they first made The Escapist.
There is so much to untangle with Kavalier & Clay but this is just one reading. I am mind blown by Chabon's ability to meld comic books, art, magic, Jewish mysticism, and many more. So much happens in this book and it tackles so many issues that it deserves so many rereading. I am looking forward to many more.
Michael Chabon, thanks for writing Joe and Sammy's story.
More like this: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (but it’s video games)
P.S. I hope you like this weirdly-structured, not my usual, essay/book review. I am on a writing slump for a month now but I wanted to talk about Kavalier and Clay so much and these are the words that came out of me.
What I’m reading this week
Build Your House Around My Body is a novel set in Vietnam about two women who had gone missing two decades apart. It’s part ghost story, part historical novel. I am loving it so far. Plus, look at that gorgeous cover. The first page of each chapter has little cute drawings related to Vietnam as well.
In case you missed this..
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I can’t wait to read this. I’ve been saving it for a time when I need some uplift
Loved this review Jam!!! Absolutely want to read this now. As I was reading I was thinking ‘this sounds like tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow’ and felt thrilled to see you draw that comparison at the end! I thought tx3 was lacking a bit, so I would love an opportunity to read a similar style novel with a bit more meat - and this sounds like it might have it!! I know you said you’re in a writing slump but I think you nailed this xx