Imagine a world in which Israel failed in 1948, and Jews—as Franklin Roosevelt once suggested—took refuge in a portion of Alaska. Actually, better leave that to Michael Chabon. The Yiddish Policemen's Union portrays the Federal District of Sitka, where Yiddish is the official language and lovelorn detective Meyer Landsman needs another unsolved case like he needs a loch in (the) kop. Funny, compassionate, and vividly detailed, Chabon's book is a smart homage to '40s noir and an earnest reflection on lives in exile.