Jeremiah's Ghost

by Isaac Constantine

A child petrified by the shadows in his bedroom. A boy shrinking from the anger of his father. A wandering adolescent who sees the Twin Towers as the legs of an interplanetary god. A new adult battered by the absence of that god.

Burdened by the weight of the past and the uncertainty of the future, Jeremiah sets out in search of the answers to his own mysteries, embarking on a journey that will carry him from the raves of New York to the Latin tropics to Israel s Independence Hall, and back to an autumn evening in The Sheep Meadow when the world was still whole.

A story of fathers and sons, self and shadows, Jeremiah s Ghost traces the path of a young man through a landscape where memory is just another kind of fiction."

176 pages, Paperback

First published October 10, 2013

About the author

Isaac Constantine was born in New York City in 1978. He attended Williams College, where he earned his BA in English, and Columbia University for an MFA in Fiction. Constantine worked briefly in publishing as an editorial assistant at The Paris Review and Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins. He is a blogger, a freelance writer and editor, a veteran of the Occupy Wall Street movement and an activist associated with the Anonymous hacker collective. He lives in San Francisco.

Reviews

[Stephanie Campbell]

Breathtaking and brutally honest; Jeremiah's Ghost is an unpretentious account of a man's journey to find acceptance with what haunts him. Its message is painful and liberating. It invites the reader to identify with the uncertainty of growing up in a world filled with terrifying contradictions. Through a series of flashbacks and fast-forwards, Jeremiah's Ghost unfolds the search for meaning, which at times, seems impossibly unattainable. Constantine unpacks the mechanisms that are often used to manage the guilt and shame of those born into privilege. He explores the constraints and expectations of powerful parents and their imperfections; of his own struggle to break free from their smothering omnipotence, in order to create his own identity. He reveals his fears and disappointments with the people around him who matter most; without bitterness or hatred. Constantine's writing is free from tiresome cliches and political correctness; he doesn't play safe or nice. With poetic candor, he strips away pretense and subterfuge with elegance and focus; he calls himself onto the carpet and exposes his own vulnerabilities with a fierce openness. We have all felt abandoned by those who were supposed to protect us. How we manage that universal disappointment is the message of this beautiful book. In the end, Constantine forgives the person he holds most responsible through an act of love. There is resolution and the promise of more to come.

[Carleen]

This book was quite the interesting read. It was quite awkward to get used to the style of writing; however, it is the best possible way that the author could have delivered the story. In the beginning we learn a bit about Jeremiah and how he was abused by his father and how his childhood was not one that is of stellar quality. The story fluctuates then to Jeremiah in college and experimenting with girls and drugs. To the average reader, one may feel that this is all bizarre and doesn't make sense; however, the author ties everything together nicely at the end and it is actually a great read. The reader can't help but feel sorry for Jeremiah and his short comings. We get to see Jeremiah transform into an adult and reflect back upon his life. I definitely feel that most people do this as they get older and see what perhaps they thought was once a terrible life, to now be the very center foundation for how they became to be. I love that this is definitely a soul searching book. Jeremiah sets out to discover himself since he was scarred by his past and is in fear of the future. He visits the land of his heritage and digs deeper into his own spirituality. This is definitely a good read for anyone who has ever done some soul searching in their life. Most people try to find their reason for being and their place in this life; Jeremiah is doing just that in this novel. I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Linda Diaz]

Jeremiah has a vivid imagination that leads to all kinds of voices in his head. Some might call him crazy. While others tend to believe we all experience a little “Jeremiah” once in awhile. Of course, some have it more severe than others, depending on your outlook. Yet, Jeremiah also takes too many drugs, probably resulting in some of his hallucinations, so to speak.

As human beings, it is a learning process we undergo from childhood on how to deal with life. Jeremiah has always been afraid of his own father. While vacationing at a resort in Latin America, Jeremiah and his sister, Rachel, chilled on the beach passed their curfew. They were then physically attacked by their father. Being a parent means worrying all the time about the whereabouts of your children, but there are constructive ways to dealing with it. This incident always stood with Jeremiah, and was mad worse when his father only regretted pushing Rachel.

A turning point for Jeremiah came when decided to go on kibbutz to Israel. That experience changed his life, to say the least. He never really cared about his ethnicity or religion, but he was ultimately interested in finding out more. What I like is that on this trip, Jeremiah challenged many norms. He wasn’t afraid to stand up for his beliefs, despite being shunned by some around him. Hence, we should all be so lucky to be a little like Jeremiah in life!

I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Michelle]

I found this book difficult to follow and understand. The jumps between time and person were extremely confusing. I found that I could not connect to the story or characters. The entire second section seemed to be haphazardly thrown together with no clear direction. Sharing the future while in the present provided little insight for me. To me, Jeremiah doesn't come of age; he remains stuck in his own hatred and lack of direction even as the story wraps. I also failed to see how this story is either apocalyptic or fantastical - having a troubled childhood is not apocalyptic and doing drugs is not fantasy. I preferred the first person narratives more than the third person pseudo-reflections. I only enjoyed the end where Jeremiah confronts his father. It didn't bring much sense of closure, but it was a genuine, uncontrived moment in the story.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

[David]

DNF. From what I read, the writing presented as privileged and pervey. Not my taste.

[Susan Bissell]

I was a little lost at the beginning of this book, but as I kept reading I started to get that the author was trying to make you understand where Jeremiah's ghost were coming from. He had a father who was abusive and had an explosive temper. Jeremiah's dad was having problems of his own dealing with a mother with dementia. He took a lot of his frustrations out on his son the most. For Jeremiah having an abusive father cause him to have very low self-esteem and to be afraid of everything when he was a child. But as an adult he turned to drugs to keep him from dealing with his life and struggles with his dad and college, plus trying to find himself in the amidst everything. Who knows what you want when you are a troubled teenager with a successful father that finds fault with everything you try and do. When Jeremiah is in his mid-twenties goes to Israel to learn more about the Jewish faith and what they have endured through the centuries, was pivotal point in his life, it helped him straighten the mess he made of his life and to grow up finally. I know some of us have more ghosts than others that hold us back in accomplishing what we need to make a better life for our self, I am glad that Jeremiah found the way to get past his ghost to make a good life for himself and to learn to love his father and forgive him.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Scott Haraburda]

Goodreads First Reads Giveaway Book.

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Jeremiah's Ghost is a coming of age story about a boy and his relationship with his father, shocked into questioning the purpose of life in response to the destruction of the Twin Towers in 2001. Unfortunately, the main character, Jeremiah, is an egotistical, volatile narcissist, who probably needs pity from others, including the reader.

Despite having a potential plot of a good story, the author baffled its readers by frequently switching between first and third person, providing them with no justification for this. Giving me headaches while I attempted to follow the story, these arbitrary transitions were jarring. Furthermore, this author wrote poorly written anecdotes about painstakingly obnoxious people, some that deviated from the story.

Isaac Constantine attended Williams College, where he earned his BA in English, and Columbia University for an MFA in Fiction. Perhaps, this highly educated author thought he was a literary genius by writing in a style that baffles the common reader, and perhaps thinking that an educated reader could understand this book.

Jeremiah's Ghost was a complete disappointment.

[Joanne Lewis]

This book left me with mixed feelings. It took a while to get to grips with the writing style at the beginning and the continual shifts in time made it difficult to follow the plot. That said, as the story progressed, it was impossible not to be drawn into Jeremiah's world.

This is described as an apocalyptic fantasy, but in effect, is really a tale of how early experiences and relationships can impact significantly on how we interpret our lives and view the world. While quite dark and haunting in places, it becomes strangely compelling and although not an easy read, was one I ended up determined to see through to the end.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[William Bentrim]

Jeremiah's Ghost by Isaac Constantine

My first thoughts on the book were that it reminded me of Catcher in the Rye, introspection carried to extremes. It is the reminisces of a self centered kid.

Jeremiah is a rather unlikeable character that appears to have an inflated opinion of his own self worth. He seemed to wallow in his own misery. His experiences growing up and his relationship with his father seem to be the primary focus.

It had some areas that were interesting but it really never grabbed my attention. Admittedly I expected something different from the Apocalyptic Fantasy cover subtitle.


Site: https://www.facebook.com/iconstantine

[Dennis Yoder]

Wow! It makes you wonder how Jeremiah was able to survive all the shadows, demons, and drugs. Don't forget an unforgiving father who shows his love is strange ways. Jeremiah really needed to be social and let himself be taken advantage of just to keep a friend happy. I really liked the trip to Israel. I feel he related to the people and the history. The whole book was an adventure. A painful journey to find himself and shake off all the things that haunted him. I was confused more that once when suddenly there was a flashback or flash forward. It took a bit to get back into it.

[Polly Krize]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The complexities of the father-son relationship are examined as Jeremiah searches for a sense of himself and his value in the world. Told in shifting tenses the story is a little difficult to follow, but Jeremiah's memories are clear, unvarnished and refreshingly honest.