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Why it matters
Chabon combines alternate history, hard-boiled detection, and an inquiry into exile and belonging.
A celebrated work
The Yiddish Policemen's Union
Michael Chabon2008 selection · Science fiction & fantasy
The Yiddish Policemen's Union
In an alternate history where a temporary Jewish settlement flourished in Alaska, detective Meyer Landsman investigates the murder of a gifted chess player. The case draws him into religious politics, family grief, and a conspiracy unfolding as the settlement faces reversion to American control.
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Read this if…
You want literary noir with intricate world-building and dark humor.
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Ideas inside
ExileIdentityFaithPolitical conspiracy
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