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Phantoms
In the panoramic tradition of Charles Frazier’s fiction, Phantoms is a fierce saga of American culpability. A Vietnam vet still reeling from war, John Frazier finds himself an unwitting witness to a confrontation, decades in the making, between two steely matriarchs: his aunt, Evelyn Wilson, and her former neighbor, Kimiko Takahashi. John comes to learn that in the onslaught of World War II, the Takahashis had been displaced as once-beloved tenants of the Wilson orchard and sent to an internment camp. One question has always plagued both families: What happened to the Takahashi son, Ray, when he returned from service and found that Placer County was no longer home—that nowhere was home for a Japanese American? As layers of family secrets unravel, the harrowing truth forces John to examine his own guilt.
In prose recalling Thomas Wolfe, Phantoms is a stunning exploration of the ghosts of American exceptionalism that haunt us today.
In prose recalling Thomas Wolfe, Phantoms is a stunning exploration of the ghosts of American exceptionalism that haunt us today.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published April 9, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
February 22, 2022
This was an interesting read about a period of history that I was familiar with, but told from a perspective that I found to be unique and different from what I expected. The story is told from the point of view of John Frazier, who has just returned to Placer County, California from service in Vietnam and finds himself haunted by what he did and saw while deployed there. He crashes at his grandmother’s house while trying to overcome a drug addiction, which is made more difficult given the “phantoms” of his past that seem to constantly follow him. While working at a local gas station, he is unexpectedly reunited with a distant relative — his aunt Evelyn Wilson — who asks him to drive her to Oakland to see a friend. It is there that John becomes a reluctant witness to an encounter between Evelyn and her former tenant Kimiko Takahashi, and subsequently becomes ensnared in the mystery of what happened to the Takahashi’s son Ray. John finds out that the Takahashi and Wilson families used to be close, but during the onset of World War II, the Takahashis were sent to an internment camp, along with all the other Japanese-Americans in the country. Several years later, Ray returned to Placer County after having served in the war, but discovered that he was no longer welcome in the place where he grew up — the only place he had ever considered home. What happened after that does not become known until nearly three decades later, when John unwittingly learns the truth and must decide how to reckon with it.
As I mentioned earlier, one of the things I thought most interesting about this book was the unique narrative structure, where the person telling the story (and from his own first person point of view too) didn’t even have anything to do with the main story arc. In essence, he was a “stranger” drawn into a reckoning between two families, and, on a larger scale, a reckoning with the country’s past actions toward an entire race. Both wars — Vietnam and WWII — serve mostly as backdrops, with the focus primarily on the aftermath of those wars and the impact from the atrocities that occurred. The writing was lyrical and poignant, though admittedly, there were also moments where it did veer somewhat toward the abstract, which made those parts a bit hard to follow. Having said that, this was overall well-written and well-told — a book that I feel is a necessary read given it’s historical context and its timely connection to recent societal issues. Reckoning with the past is not always easy — more so a past as complicated as this one — yet it is an important step to understanding and learning from what happened so as to prevent something similar from ever happening again.
As I mentioned earlier, one of the things I thought most interesting about this book was the unique narrative structure, where the person telling the story (and from his own first person point of view too) didn’t even have anything to do with the main story arc. In essence, he was a “stranger” drawn into a reckoning between two families, and, on a larger scale, a reckoning with the country’s past actions toward an entire race. Both wars — Vietnam and WWII — serve mostly as backdrops, with the focus primarily on the aftermath of those wars and the impact from the atrocities that occurred. The writing was lyrical and poignant, though admittedly, there were also moments where it did veer somewhat toward the abstract, which made those parts a bit hard to follow. Having said that, this was overall well-written and well-told — a book that I feel is a necessary read given it’s historical context and its timely connection to recent societal issues. Reckoning with the past is not always easy — more so a past as complicated as this one — yet it is an important step to understanding and learning from what happened so as to prevent something similar from ever happening again.
October 22, 2019
There are times when I get really mad at myself. I put off reading this book because I thought it would be sad and depressing. Was I ever wrong. This is a beautifully written, lyrical story about what happened to a Japanese family during WWII in Calif. Although they were sent to an internment camp, the story revolves around their son, Ray, who enlisted and fought in the war. The story tells what happens to him when he returns home to his former home and friends.
The story is told retrospectively through the eyes of a Vietnam vet who is struggling to come to terms with his service. The vet moves in with grandmother in the Sacramento Valley and tries to put his life back together. He runs into the major characters of Ray's life and slowly discovers his story. It is written like a memoir and at times I had to catch myself thinking it was.
It is a magnificent story that really makes you aware of the times in a very human way. I highly recommend this book.
The story is told retrospectively through the eyes of a Vietnam vet who is struggling to come to terms with his service. The vet moves in with grandmother in the Sacramento Valley and tries to put his life back together. He runs into the major characters of Ray's life and slowly discovers his story. It is written like a memoir and at times I had to catch myself thinking it was.
It is a magnificent story that really makes you aware of the times in a very human way. I highly recommend this book.
May 6, 2019
Christian Kiefer's PHANTOMS tells a story I haven't read in fiction before, giving us a Japanese family forced to leave there home and live in an interment camp at the end of World War II. And this is what I love about fiction, a writer taking me some place I haven't imagined before. The opening chapter, about a soldier, a young man -- both American and Japanese, a soldier -- returning to the home that he has been exiled from, is poignant and riveting and truly heartbreaking. The narrative takes off in interesting ways from there..
July 10, 2019
Sherman famously said, “War is hell”, but the real hell is how it dehumanizes us and forces us to be less than who we are. In this novel, Christian Kiefer takes arguably two of the four most hideous parts of America’s past – the Japanese internment and Vietnam (the other two being slavery and the current caging of immigrant children) and weaves a tale of the ghosts that haunt us.
Ray Takahashi is a young American of Japanese descent whose family is forced into an internment camp even while he fights for the American forces. He leaves behind a young sweetheart – his forbidden love. Over a generation later, John Frazier, a burnt-out Vietnam Vet and novelist, finds himself inadvertently immersed in Ray’s story – what happened and why – precisely at a time when he is trying to tackle his own ghosts. Adding to the mix are the two matriarchs – Ray’s mother and John’s elderly aunt – who may be the key to closure.
The book focuses on themes that unfortunately resonate through the years: privilege and prejudice, the thin line between love and hatred, the small gap between American exceptionalism and imperialism, the reality of life vs. the burning need to pursue phantoms and loose threads. The writing – as in Christian Kiefer’s past book, The Animals – is lush and moving.
From time to time, I couldn't help but feel that some of the plot revelations were just a tad too convenient and the resolutions a bit too pat (particularly the ending). All in all, it’s an engaging read.
December 31, 2019
As a Vietnamese, I was curious to read this book, having heard that one of the characters of PHANTOMS is a Vietnam War veteran. I was particularly interested in the way the author, Christian Kiefer, represents post-war trauma in his fiction.
And I was not disappointed. PHANTOMS highlights the facts that wars do not end when the related battles end. Wars kills not just soldiers but also their family members. These truths are reflected beautifully in this powerful, heart-breaking and incredibly poetic novel.
I love this novel also because the author did a tremendous amount of research to be able to paint a realistic picture about the harsh treatments that Japanese Americans received. The Japanese army indeed did horrific things in many countries, including in my homeland Vietnam, but there was no reason for ordinary Japanese or people of Japanese decent to have suffered from these types of treatments. PHANTOMS, therefore, is important in highlighting the mistakes of our history in the hope that these mistakes won't be repeated again.
I have been lucky to come across many good books in 2019 and PHANTOMS is definitely one of my favorite reads. My heart sings or weeps at every word of this novel, and this is the reason that I highly recommend PHANTOMS to anyone.
And I was not disappointed. PHANTOMS highlights the facts that wars do not end when the related battles end. Wars kills not just soldiers but also their family members. These truths are reflected beautifully in this powerful, heart-breaking and incredibly poetic novel.
I love this novel also because the author did a tremendous amount of research to be able to paint a realistic picture about the harsh treatments that Japanese Americans received. The Japanese army indeed did horrific things in many countries, including in my homeland Vietnam, but there was no reason for ordinary Japanese or people of Japanese decent to have suffered from these types of treatments. PHANTOMS, therefore, is important in highlighting the mistakes of our history in the hope that these mistakes won't be repeated again.
I have been lucky to come across many good books in 2019 and PHANTOMS is definitely one of my favorite reads. My heart sings or weeps at every word of this novel, and this is the reason that I highly recommend PHANTOMS to anyone.
August 30, 2019
There really is a Newcastle, California. And 70 years ago, a thriving orchard business of fruit production despite its being in the heart of "gold country." As WWII breaks, two families personify the dichotomy of the population -- The landowning Wilsons and their tenants, the indispensable Takahashis who have been instrumental in rejuvenating the orchards and making them flourish. This book begins at the war's end, with Ray Takahashi "home" from the European front, but all is not what it first seems. Interwoven is the story of John Frazier twenty plus years later, related to the Wilsons, fighting his own demons from the Vietnam War. What Christian Kiefer has managed to do is craft an account incorporating the effects of war not only on the young men who enter service and have their lives forever changed, but also the lives of those around them. Utilizing beautiful prose and involving technique, the stories intersect and diverge, and the whole truth is not revealed until very late even if the reader thinks, aha, I've got it, pretty early on. Exceptionally fine.
September 18, 2019
"Enduring the seemingly unbearable with grace and dignity." The Buddhist belief in "gaman" links all the pieces of this well-researched historical novel.
John Frazer, ill with PTSD and addiction, returns from Vietnam a broken soul. As his attempts to heal falter, fail and then succeed a bit, he is enmeshed in the story of his Aunt Evelyn Wilson's family and that of the Takahashi family who live in Placer County, California before, during and after World War II. Without dumping too much of the mystery, Frazer ends up being the link to uncover and discover what really happened during Japanese internment and the aftermath of WW II. As lost as he is, he nonetheless pursues the stories over many years as he goes to school, marries, has a family and tries to write the book long planned.
This is a moving and truthful novel, full of suspense and sorrow and surprise. Would that human beings learn from their mistakes.
John Frazer, ill with PTSD and addiction, returns from Vietnam a broken soul. As his attempts to heal falter, fail and then succeed a bit, he is enmeshed in the story of his Aunt Evelyn Wilson's family and that of the Takahashi family who live in Placer County, California before, during and after World War II. Without dumping too much of the mystery, Frazer ends up being the link to uncover and discover what really happened during Japanese internment and the aftermath of WW II. As lost as he is, he nonetheless pursues the stories over many years as he goes to school, marries, has a family and tries to write the book long planned.
This is a moving and truthful novel, full of suspense and sorrow and surprise. Would that human beings learn from their mistakes.
December 27, 2018
I received a free advance reading copy of this book through the Goodreads Giveaways program and would like to thank anyone involved in making that happen!
This is a quietly beautiful novel that deals with the aftermath of war and how it reverberates through generations. It tells the heartbreaking story of two intertwined families, ripped apart by World War II and tenuously reunited by old family secrets and mysteries after the Vietnam war.
This novel is a gorgeously written, slow-burner, with a satisfying conclusion. I was familiar with the Japanese term gaman but this story really personified it and brought my understanding of the concept to a whole new level. Highly recommended, and I will be seeking out more by this author!
This is a quietly beautiful novel that deals with the aftermath of war and how it reverberates through generations. It tells the heartbreaking story of two intertwined families, ripped apart by World War II and tenuously reunited by old family secrets and mysteries after the Vietnam war.
This novel is a gorgeously written, slow-burner, with a satisfying conclusion. I was familiar with the Japanese term gaman but this story really personified it and brought my understanding of the concept to a whole new level. Highly recommended, and I will be seeking out more by this author!
July 4, 2019
It's 1969. A strung-out Vietnam vet returns to his California hometown where he encounters an aunt he doesn't know well but who asks him to drive her to San Jose so she can visit an old friend. Upon arriving, his aunt and her friend, an elderly Japanese lady, do not seem especially happy to see each other and in fact sit in the latter's house, barely speaking.
Given that setup, it would be harder to write a bad novel than a good one. But Mr. Kiefer seems to be a man of uncommon talents. The worst student in a fiction workshop knows enough to start the book with that scene, but Mr. Kiefer sticks it halfway through "Phantoms," when the reader already knows why the two old women hate each other. Thus we're stuck with the reactions of the narrator, John Frazier, a man who is credible as neither an addict (he managed to get hooked on black tar heroin 25 years before it was being sold in the US) nor a veteran (for a PTSD sufferer, he's remarkably clinical about all the traumas he endured during the war -- all his memories read like summaries of case studies he read in a library). The good Mr. Frazier is, however, believable as an aspiring bad writer, someone who just stumbled across the word "topography" in the Thesaurus and couldn't wait to use it in as many metaphors as possible ("topography of the mind," "topography of the heart," probably a couple of other examples I've repressed). In fact, Frazier is such a pompous, unlikely stiff that until the last paragraph of "Phantoms," I was half-expecting Mr. Kiefer to sell out the prior 232 1/2 pages by admitting that the book was a clever satire of bad 20th century modernism. I still clung to that hope when I went Googling for profiles of the author, whose previous novel, "The Animals," hadn't annoyed me anywhere near this much. I knew Mr. Kiefer was serious about "Phantoms" when I read that he idolized Richard Ford. I should have known. "Wet heavy snow that seemed to come down in great gobs like phlegmy spittle" is a bad enough analogy for "The Sportswriter."
I understand the author's impulse to pay tribute to both World War II and Vietnam veterans. I understand his interest in writing a book about the Japanese immigrants and Japanese-Americans imprisoned in interment camps during World War II. What I don't understand is why he felt compelled to honor these groups with such a lousy book.
Given that setup, it would be harder to write a bad novel than a good one. But Mr. Kiefer seems to be a man of uncommon talents. The worst student in a fiction workshop knows enough to start the book with that scene, but Mr. Kiefer sticks it halfway through "Phantoms," when the reader already knows why the two old women hate each other. Thus we're stuck with the reactions of the narrator, John Frazier, a man who is credible as neither an addict (he managed to get hooked on black tar heroin 25 years before it was being sold in the US) nor a veteran (for a PTSD sufferer, he's remarkably clinical about all the traumas he endured during the war -- all his memories read like summaries of case studies he read in a library). The good Mr. Frazier is, however, believable as an aspiring bad writer, someone who just stumbled across the word "topography" in the Thesaurus and couldn't wait to use it in as many metaphors as possible ("topography of the mind," "topography of the heart," probably a couple of other examples I've repressed). In fact, Frazier is such a pompous, unlikely stiff that until the last paragraph of "Phantoms," I was half-expecting Mr. Kiefer to sell out the prior 232 1/2 pages by admitting that the book was a clever satire of bad 20th century modernism. I still clung to that hope when I went Googling for profiles of the author, whose previous novel, "The Animals," hadn't annoyed me anywhere near this much. I knew Mr. Kiefer was serious about "Phantoms" when I read that he idolized Richard Ford. I should have known. "Wet heavy snow that seemed to come down in great gobs like phlegmy spittle" is a bad enough analogy for "The Sportswriter."
I understand the author's impulse to pay tribute to both World War II and Vietnam veterans. I understand his interest in writing a book about the Japanese immigrants and Japanese-Americans imprisoned in interment camps during World War II. What I don't understand is why he felt compelled to honor these groups with such a lousy book.
July 29, 2021
REVIEW: Phantoms, Christian Kiefer
RATING: 4/5 stars
It's not every day you get to read a novel written by the man you work for.
As our Ashland University residency has been underway, I decided to give one of Christian's novels a try. With the convenience of audiobooks, it was easy to listen to the narrative as I made various bookmarks and flyers. Having heard him read before, I was expected a good story. But much like Defy the Stars, this tale exceeded my expectations and made my digression from The Box in the Woods worthwhile. Side note: yes, I have started reading it. I am prepared to roast it and I'm only one chapter in. Brace yourselves for my upcoming analysis.
Anyway, this review is not about my mixed feelings toward Maureen Johnson's work, but is instead about the masterpiece known as Phantoms. The language of this book absolutely blew me away from beginning to end. The fruit imagery, the visceral experiences of post-war trauma, and the multicultural family crossovers were absolutely poignant. There were plenty of little shocks and twists that led up to bigger turns, reaching this climax of drugs and despair and contemplation over who really gets to tell what stories. The breakdown scene reminded me of the epilogue of The Beginner's Guide, which is an accolade if I've ever given one.
I did have a little trouble tracing the timeline in this book, which is why my rating is four stars instead of five. I have no issues with nonlinear plots; after all, Slaughterhouse Five is one of my favorite books. But the continual phrasing of "we'd know this later," etc. left me quite confused about who knew what, when. Additionally, I did have a few issues with the specific words or phrases used in describing people. Even though they were intended to show what was wrong, even for a bygone era, comments about owning women and abbreviated insults for Japanese people were moderately tricky coming from a white man. Going off of that idea, I thought that the protagonist's old war friend was more of a plot device than a character - a way for him to stare war right in the face despite it physically ending for him. I think that references to old partners would have been just as effective than the brief encounter and eventual suicide. Finally, I have mixed feelings about the ending; I'm inclined to say I liked it better when Ray's fate was up in the air. But I can also understand and respect the decision to incorporate the full story scope.
This book will break your heart, but I would recommend it anyway. I think it does a pretty good job of honoring different races instead of offending, which is most successfully executed through the almost-immediate shift in narrator/point of view. There are so many layers of disparity that it really puts a lot into perspective for the audience, while simultaneously putting you under a spell of metaphors and raw emotions. Thanks to Christian for this haunting tale!
RATING: 4/5 stars
It's not every day you get to read a novel written by the man you work for.
As our Ashland University residency has been underway, I decided to give one of Christian's novels a try. With the convenience of audiobooks, it was easy to listen to the narrative as I made various bookmarks and flyers. Having heard him read before, I was expected a good story. But much like Defy the Stars, this tale exceeded my expectations and made my digression from The Box in the Woods worthwhile. Side note: yes, I have started reading it. I am prepared to roast it and I'm only one chapter in. Brace yourselves for my upcoming analysis.
Anyway, this review is not about my mixed feelings toward Maureen Johnson's work, but is instead about the masterpiece known as Phantoms. The language of this book absolutely blew me away from beginning to end. The fruit imagery, the visceral experiences of post-war trauma, and the multicultural family crossovers were absolutely poignant. There were plenty of little shocks and twists that led up to bigger turns, reaching this climax of drugs and despair and contemplation over who really gets to tell what stories. The breakdown scene reminded me of the epilogue of The Beginner's Guide, which is an accolade if I've ever given one.
I did have a little trouble tracing the timeline in this book, which is why my rating is four stars instead of five. I have no issues with nonlinear plots; after all, Slaughterhouse Five is one of my favorite books. But the continual phrasing of "we'd know this later," etc. left me quite confused about who knew what, when. Additionally, I did have a few issues with the specific words or phrases used in describing people. Even though they were intended to show what was wrong, even for a bygone era, comments about owning women and abbreviated insults for Japanese people were moderately tricky coming from a white man. Going off of that idea, I thought that the protagonist's old war friend was more of a plot device than a character - a way for him to stare war right in the face despite it physically ending for him. I think that references to old partners would have been just as effective than the brief encounter and eventual suicide. Finally, I have mixed feelings about the ending; I'm inclined to say I liked it better when Ray's fate was up in the air. But I can also understand and respect the decision to incorporate the full story scope.
This book will break your heart, but I would recommend it anyway. I think it does a pretty good job of honoring different races instead of offending, which is most successfully executed through the almost-immediate shift in narrator/point of view. There are so many layers of disparity that it really puts a lot into perspective for the audience, while simultaneously putting you under a spell of metaphors and raw emotions. Thanks to Christian for this haunting tale!
February 17, 2020
Gorgeous writing, foreshadowing that draws the reader to turn pages, wonderful characters, and an exploration of deeply American themes propelled me to read Phantoms by Christian Kiefer in two sittings.
John Frazier returns from Vietnam a shattered man. He moves in with his grandmother and takes a job pumping gas. He becomes involved with two formidable women whose husbands were once best friends--a confidence man, becoming the bearer of the secrets of their entwined family histories dating to the 1940s.
Aunt Evelyn Wilson's husband ran an orchard. Kimiko Takahashi was a Japanese picture bride. Their husband worked together, friends over their shared love of the orchard. Their children grew up together.
The ugliness of racism underlies the story of star-crossed lovers separated by WWII and the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the Japanese Removal Act, a story that ends in tragedy.
They would love each other. In secrecy and in silence. And then all of it would blown away, not only because of history but because of their very lives, adrift as they were in the swirling spinning sea between one continent and another.~ from Phantoms by Christian Kiefer
John has struggled for years to contain his experiences through his writing. His early promise as a 'war writer' has not been fulfilled. It is time to tell this other story, Ray Takahashi's story.
If the kind of experiences I had in Vietnam have already become a tired American myth, over told, overanalyzed, then perhaps this is a good enough reason to justify what I am trying to do in these pages, returning to the 1969 of my memory not to write about Vietnam at long last but instead to narrate the story of someone I did not know but whose time in Place County has come to feel inextricably tied to my own. ~from Phantom by Christian Kiefer
I love the language of this book. John notes that he had read Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe twice,"its sentences consuming me. O Lost, and by the wind grieved, ghost, come back again," and was reading it again after the war. I believe I have read it four times! I discovered Wolfe at sixteen in 1969, and fell in love with his language.
This grim story also is a celebration of life. The ending is a beautiful affirmation that brought strong emotions and a catch in my throat.
There are days--many of them--when golden light seems to pour forth from the very soil.~from Phantoms by Christian Kiefer
I purchased an ebook.
John Frazier returns from Vietnam a shattered man. He moves in with his grandmother and takes a job pumping gas. He becomes involved with two formidable women whose husbands were once best friends--a confidence man, becoming the bearer of the secrets of their entwined family histories dating to the 1940s.
Aunt Evelyn Wilson's husband ran an orchard. Kimiko Takahashi was a Japanese picture bride. Their husband worked together, friends over their shared love of the orchard. Their children grew up together.
The ugliness of racism underlies the story of star-crossed lovers separated by WWII and the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the Japanese Removal Act, a story that ends in tragedy.
They would love each other. In secrecy and in silence. And then all of it would blown away, not only because of history but because of their very lives, adrift as they were in the swirling spinning sea between one continent and another.~ from Phantoms by Christian Kiefer
John has struggled for years to contain his experiences through his writing. His early promise as a 'war writer' has not been fulfilled. It is time to tell this other story, Ray Takahashi's story.
If the kind of experiences I had in Vietnam have already become a tired American myth, over told, overanalyzed, then perhaps this is a good enough reason to justify what I am trying to do in these pages, returning to the 1969 of my memory not to write about Vietnam at long last but instead to narrate the story of someone I did not know but whose time in Place County has come to feel inextricably tied to my own. ~from Phantom by Christian Kiefer
I love the language of this book. John notes that he had read Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe twice,"its sentences consuming me. O Lost, and by the wind grieved, ghost, come back again," and was reading it again after the war. I believe I have read it four times! I discovered Wolfe at sixteen in 1969, and fell in love with his language.
This grim story also is a celebration of life. The ending is a beautiful affirmation that brought strong emotions and a catch in my throat.
There are days--many of them--when golden light seems to pour forth from the very soil.~from Phantoms by Christian Kiefer
I purchased an ebook.
June 20, 2019
I made a decision earlier this year to read more books by or about people of color, which was why I picked up Phantoms. It is the story of two Placer County famiies, one white and one Japanese in the days of World War II. Both families are affected by internments, prejudice, and more.
The Takahashis are tenants on the Wilson farm, helping Mr. Wilson with his orchards. Their elder son Raymond, is great friends with the Wilson kids, Jimmy and Helen. When Japanese families are rounded up and taken to internment camps, the Wilsons vow to look after the Takahashis' property.
Ray becomes one of the Nisei veterans, second generation Japanese-Americans who joined the military and fought on the side of the US. When he returns to his home town, he finds the Wilsons arrayed against him for reasons he doesn't understand.
Cut forward to the late 1960s, when Mrs. Wilson's nephew, John, is staying with his grandmother in that same town ... and a variety of circumstances set him on the trail of what happened to Raymond Takahashi.
Christian Kiefer's novel is a heartbreaking, realistic story filled with people who feel real to the reader. They all have their foibles; none of them are perfect. Yet, they are relatable and I found myself commiserating with many of them as I read. Toward the end of the book, tears threatened to spill; in many ways, this is not a tale for the faint of heart.
Highly recommended for those who enjoy literary fiction, with a smattering of the sociology of prejudice woven throughout.
The Takahashis are tenants on the Wilson farm, helping Mr. Wilson with his orchards. Their elder son Raymond, is great friends with the Wilson kids, Jimmy and Helen. When Japanese families are rounded up and taken to internment camps, the Wilsons vow to look after the Takahashis' property.
Ray becomes one of the Nisei veterans, second generation Japanese-Americans who joined the military and fought on the side of the US. When he returns to his home town, he finds the Wilsons arrayed against him for reasons he doesn't understand.
Cut forward to the late 1960s, when Mrs. Wilson's nephew, John, is staying with his grandmother in that same town ... and a variety of circumstances set him on the trail of what happened to Raymond Takahashi.
Christian Kiefer's novel is a heartbreaking, realistic story filled with people who feel real to the reader. They all have their foibles; none of them are perfect. Yet, they are relatable and I found myself commiserating with many of them as I read. Toward the end of the book, tears threatened to spill; in many ways, this is not a tale for the faint of heart.
Highly recommended for those who enjoy literary fiction, with a smattering of the sociology of prejudice woven throughout.
December 10, 2021
Such a sorrowful story; and yet lovely and lyrical.
Set in Placer County, California, it chronicles two accounts. The removal of Japanese Americans in May 1942, from Newcastle to an internment camp at Tulelake, and the 1969 return of a reduced and wrecked John Frazier from a year fighting in Vietnam. There is the ugliness of racism and the horror of PTS nightmares. Grim and grimy. But a scene of a woman helping an utterly broken young man — that bridges gender, generation, and race — haunts me, and inspires me to always have a dish of chicken enchiladas in the freezer.
Peter Berkrot's narration was perfect pitch, particularly with Kimiko Takahashi's voice. There was one unfortunate error that jarred, marring the otherwise excellent performance. All audiobook narrators and produces should be required to check and doublecheck *all* geographical pronunciations. The first syllable in 'Placer County' looks like it would rhyme with grace, brace, and lace. In fact, it rhymes with grass, brass, and lass. This is not (cough) obscure knowledge.
Phantoms came onto my radar by hearing Christian Kiefer talk on the podcast Bibliography. My interest was sparked because I used to live thirty some miles from Tulelake, CA, where the Takahashi family was interned. When I picked up the book up to read the blurbs on the back, none were written by names familiar to me. Until I saw the author, Naomi Williams. No, I've never met Naomi. But her Japanese mom is my sister-in-law's best friend. :) ♥♥♥
Set in Placer County, California, it chronicles two accounts. The removal of Japanese Americans in May 1942, from Newcastle to an internment camp at Tulelake, and the 1969 return of a reduced and wrecked John Frazier from a year fighting in Vietnam. There is the ugliness of racism and the horror of PTS nightmares. Grim and grimy. But a scene of a woman helping an utterly broken young man — that bridges gender, generation, and race — haunts me, and inspires me to always have a dish of chicken enchiladas in the freezer.
Peter Berkrot's narration was perfect pitch, particularly with Kimiko Takahashi's voice. There was one unfortunate error that jarred, marring the otherwise excellent performance. All audiobook narrators and produces should be required to check and doublecheck *all* geographical pronunciations. The first syllable in 'Placer County' looks like it would rhyme with grace, brace, and lace. In fact, it rhymes with grass, brass, and lass. This is not (cough) obscure knowledge.
Phantoms came onto my radar by hearing Christian Kiefer talk on the podcast Bibliography. My interest was sparked because I used to live thirty some miles from Tulelake, CA, where the Takahashi family was interned. When I picked up the book up to read the blurbs on the back, none were written by names familiar to me. Until I saw the author, Naomi Williams. No, I've never met Naomi. But her Japanese mom is my sister-in-law's best friend. :) ♥♥♥
July 15, 2019
“Phantoms”, by Christian Kiefer, is a captivating and beautifully written story that weaves in the concept of “gaman”, a Buddhist term meaning “enduring the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity.” The novel touches upon historic events: two wars and the Japanese internment camps. It is a story of survival and loss, of family, and nationalism.
Our first person narrator is John Frazier, just home from Vietnam in 1969. John is clearly struggling (we would see it clearly as PTSD today), and he goes to live with his grandmother in a rural fruit-farming town in Placer County California. There he meets the stern and enigmatic Mrs. Wilson, who leads him to the Takahashi family and the mystery of their son Ray, who years ago had returned from the European theater in WWII. Kiefer’s strong and elegant prose, with perfect pacing, propels the reader through this complicated story of human nature; loving, suffering, fighting, grieving, and ultimately surviving.
The word “phantom” has a dual meaning here, and I was thoroughly satisfied when I turned the final page.
Our first person narrator is John Frazier, just home from Vietnam in 1969. John is clearly struggling (we would see it clearly as PTSD today), and he goes to live with his grandmother in a rural fruit-farming town in Placer County California. There he meets the stern and enigmatic Mrs. Wilson, who leads him to the Takahashi family and the mystery of their son Ray, who years ago had returned from the European theater in WWII. Kiefer’s strong and elegant prose, with perfect pacing, propels the reader through this complicated story of human nature; loving, suffering, fighting, grieving, and ultimately surviving.
The word “phantom” has a dual meaning here, and I was thoroughly satisfied when I turned the final page.
August 22, 2019
Phantoms, for me, was a slow start. The first couple pages begin with percussive language exploring the return of a soldier I didn't know and then morphed slowly into a slower narrative. This is why it took me a few days to get into it. Bear with me--I'm going to explain why I love it in a moment.
This slow burn is the lull, the period after a climax of a novel just left by the character we don't know yet. The quiet. Vietnam war. It takes off and I found myself immersed in this give and take. The story of Ray and the story of the narrator reflect each other in subtle and not so subtle ways. It explores the before of internment, the after. It explores decisions that were not maybe right but maybe would never change. It presses into the ill understood nature of PTSD after Vietnam. It covers the returns of Veterans who longed to serve the country and the wall thrown up between them and everyone else whether it was from racism or purely politics. Along with this is a marvelous use of rhetoric, bringing metaphor and symbolism in such a beautiful way that I honestly didn't feel the impact until a good fifteen minutes after I closed my copy.
When I did feel the impact, I felt it all the way home. I couldn't listen to music or read a book. All I could do was absorb what I had read.
This slow burn is the lull, the period after a climax of a novel just left by the character we don't know yet. The quiet. Vietnam war. It takes off and I found myself immersed in this give and take. The story of Ray and the story of the narrator reflect each other in subtle and not so subtle ways. It explores the before of internment, the after. It explores decisions that were not maybe right but maybe would never change. It presses into the ill understood nature of PTSD after Vietnam. It covers the returns of Veterans who longed to serve the country and the wall thrown up between them and everyone else whether it was from racism or purely politics. Along with this is a marvelous use of rhetoric, bringing metaphor and symbolism in such a beautiful way that I honestly didn't feel the impact until a good fifteen minutes after I closed my copy.
When I did feel the impact, I felt it all the way home. I couldn't listen to music or read a book. All I could do was absorb what I had read.
May 24, 2022
To endure what you cannot control. That felt like everything I had returned to after the war. There are times today when it still does.
And so John Frazier endured and survived the war in Vietnam and returned with a habit which helped him to continue to endure. His parents being concerned both for his and their safety sent him to stay with his grandmother in a small community in Placer county in the foothills of the Sierras.
There he was able to begin to "get his head straight" and become involved with the disappearance of the returned soldier from WWII, Ray Takahashi.
Ray's family has spent the war in a Japanese Internment Camp, while he fought the war in Europe. Ray returned to his old home in Newcastle, but never reunited with his family in their new home in Oakland.
John joins the quest to find him with his Aunt Evelyn and Ray's mother Kimiko.
I enjoyed this book and particularly the familiar settings.
And so John Frazier endured and survived the war in Vietnam and returned with a habit which helped him to continue to endure. His parents being concerned both for his and their safety sent him to stay with his grandmother in a small community in Placer county in the foothills of the Sierras.
There he was able to begin to "get his head straight" and become involved with the disappearance of the returned soldier from WWII, Ray Takahashi.
Ray's family has spent the war in a Japanese Internment Camp, while he fought the war in Europe. Ray returned to his old home in Newcastle, but never reunited with his family in their new home in Oakland.
John joins the quest to find him with his Aunt Evelyn and Ray's mother Kimiko.
I enjoyed this book and particularly the familiar settings.
May 29, 2019
Five stars to this book for the excellent craftsmanship the author used in putting together several plot lines in a non-linear structure. The use of actual historical happenings from WWII to the Vietnam war gave it a wonderful realism. I look forward to reading more by this author.
February 7, 2022
So many ghosts in this story. Beautiful writing and a haunting story that reminds us that everyone who is in a war is broken. The book tells the ugly story of racism against Japanese Americans in WWII, and the trauma inflicted upon soldiers and the nation during the Vietnam War. Good characters. Easy to read and worth the time.
September 29, 2019
This stirring novel might have been read in a single sitting if I hadn’t been so distracted this last month. It’s short and the formal elevated language moves swiftly through this two-pronged story of a young Vietnam vet coping with his inner war who gets suddenly swept in the wake of older strifes he has no inkling of. Beautiful and moving, Kiefer fashions a heart-rending tale that moves gracefully between the purgatory of the returning soldier and the injustices that Japanese-Americans underwent at the onset of World War II.
February 18, 2019
This book tells the tale of a Vietnam war veteran walking through history with two women who lived through World War II - specifically on two different sides of the Japanese internment.
John, the veteran, takes us through a whirlwind of history while struggling with his PTSD, going back and forth between the sixties as he lives through Evelyn Wilson and Kimiko Takahashi's meeting nearly twenty years after the war ended, their tension, valid, still existing over trouble between their families and the aftermath of the war.
The story, with all of its bouncing back and forth through time, all the way up to the eighties, can be a challenge to follow and at times, confusing to a reader. The story, however, does provide interesting insight on life before, during, and after internment and reminds us to question ourselves on racism. While we blame others for the things they did no commit, we must remember this lesson in today's world as it happens again - turning against our neighbors leads to decades of reprocussions, ones that we must prevent now and not give in to hate.
John, the veteran, takes us through a whirlwind of history while struggling with his PTSD, going back and forth between the sixties as he lives through Evelyn Wilson and Kimiko Takahashi's meeting nearly twenty years after the war ended, their tension, valid, still existing over trouble between their families and the aftermath of the war.
The story, with all of its bouncing back and forth through time, all the way up to the eighties, can be a challenge to follow and at times, confusing to a reader. The story, however, does provide interesting insight on life before, during, and after internment and reminds us to question ourselves on racism. While we blame others for the things they did no commit, we must remember this lesson in today's world as it happens again - turning against our neighbors leads to decades of reprocussions, ones that we must prevent now and not give in to hate.
May 2, 2020
Powerful! Excellent!
Thank you to all Japanese Americans who fought for your country (USA) in WW2. I’m sorry you came home to no home at all.
Thank you to all Japanese Americans who fought for your country (USA) in WW2. I’m sorry you came home to no home at all.
October 25, 2019
Oh, wow. This one was hard to rate. The subject matter definitely needs to be talked about and the plot was solid. My main problem was the author's style. He uses a weird POV switching style that when used in this way, really just distracts from the main story. There's really nothing you get from switching view that way, and quite a bit of the drama of the story is lost in the going back and forth.
So I was on the fence about what to rate this and I was thinking about 3 stars, you know, kind of mediocre, but had its good parts. But then I thought about the fact that it barely touches on the Japanese internment camps at all. Like, why set your book with a Japanese character in that time period and barely deal directly with the subject matter at hand? Was he trying to be coy? Why shine a light on a subject only to immediately after hide it under a bush? It makes no sense. So in the end, I had to knock off a star for that. If you're going to take the time to set a period piece during an important time in our history, you have got to show that history, warts and all, and you aren't doing anybody any favors by white washing or avoiding events.
So I was on the fence about what to rate this and I was thinking about 3 stars, you know, kind of mediocre, but had its good parts. But then I thought about the fact that it barely touches on the Japanese internment camps at all. Like, why set your book with a Japanese character in that time period and barely deal directly with the subject matter at hand? Was he trying to be coy? Why shine a light on a subject only to immediately after hide it under a bush? It makes no sense. So in the end, I had to knock off a star for that. If you're going to take the time to set a period piece during an important time in our history, you have got to show that history, warts and all, and you aren't doing anybody any favors by white washing or avoiding events.
February 22, 2020
Engrossing story spanning WWII and Vietnam and centered on the plight of Japanese Americans in the internment period in the US. The central story is slowly revealed in a way that makes it especially poignant.
January 14, 2019
Phantoms by Christian Kiefer is told from a recent Vietnam Vet's point-of-view. John Frazeier comes home from Vietnam not knowing what to do with his life. A broken young man, like most who came back, and has decided to spend time with his Grandmother and a distant Aunt. The story floats through several decades, from before World War II to 1983. It also includes the lives of several different families, the Takahashis, who were displaced and sent to an interrnment camp during the second world war, the Wilson's, who owned the land the Takahashis lives on and rented a place on, and Frazier himself, as a war hero who wonders what happened to another war hero, of a different time. Ray. Ray Tahahashis arrived home after serving in WWII to find that his family had been removed, and that he was no longer welcome. Then he disappeared. After losing friends, John finds that he can't let the story go, and finds himself obsessed later in life with the outcome.
As a story that involved different time periods it was interesting how these stories intertwined. Seeing a man coming home from the Second World War to find his family and everything he loved gone, then to find out later what happened and how much life had screwed him over, was upsetting and fascinating. Most won't think of the repercussions of the life some leaves behind and the life they return to, especially given the time some soldiers spent away, and still spend on deployment. After most wars, the man or boy sent away is not the man or boy who comes back, and often the lives they are coming back to is not the same either.
Ray finds this to be the truth when he returns to what he thought of as home, only to find that everything has changed and he is no longer welcome. As the story moves on the reader gets to see how unwelcome Ray is when the woman he loves and the people of the town react to him in an unexpected way. Decades later, when John returns from Vietnam with the same kind of feeling about where home is, he find himself embroiled in discussions between his distant Aunt, Evelyn Wilson, and Ray's mother Kimiko Takahashi, who only want to know where her son is. Evelyn Wilson however is full of secrets that she is unwilling to share, keeping a family in the dark, and creating more and more unnecessary heartache.
John, is dealing with his own issues, memories and ghosts from his time in Vietnam. He spends some time with another soldier who was with him, Chigger, but in the end, no really gets their happy ending.
This novel not only shows a portrayal of what it looks like for a soldier to come home, but also what secrets can do when left unspoken. One family doesn't find out the entire truth, and another searches for something that they let go of. In the end, there isn't justice for anyone, even John loses by not reaching out to someone he should have reached out to.
There are parts of this novel that were hard to read, especially as someone who has been military for most of their life and who has sent men off to war. Parts of this novel were hard to read because of the blatant racism and disgust that some of the character portrayed, Evelyn Wilson was not a pleasant person, and neither was her daughter, Helen.
In the end, the only issue I had with this book was the slipping of time forward and backward. There were moments that were confusing, and there were moments that were overdone, but overall, the book was pretty good.
As a story that involved different time periods it was interesting how these stories intertwined. Seeing a man coming home from the Second World War to find his family and everything he loved gone, then to find out later what happened and how much life had screwed him over, was upsetting and fascinating. Most won't think of the repercussions of the life some leaves behind and the life they return to, especially given the time some soldiers spent away, and still spend on deployment. After most wars, the man or boy sent away is not the man or boy who comes back, and often the lives they are coming back to is not the same either.
Ray finds this to be the truth when he returns to what he thought of as home, only to find that everything has changed and he is no longer welcome. As the story moves on the reader gets to see how unwelcome Ray is when the woman he loves and the people of the town react to him in an unexpected way. Decades later, when John returns from Vietnam with the same kind of feeling about where home is, he find himself embroiled in discussions between his distant Aunt, Evelyn Wilson, and Ray's mother Kimiko Takahashi, who only want to know where her son is. Evelyn Wilson however is full of secrets that she is unwilling to share, keeping a family in the dark, and creating more and more unnecessary heartache.
John, is dealing with his own issues, memories and ghosts from his time in Vietnam. He spends some time with another soldier who was with him, Chigger, but in the end, no really gets their happy ending.
This novel not only shows a portrayal of what it looks like for a soldier to come home, but also what secrets can do when left unspoken. One family doesn't find out the entire truth, and another searches for something that they let go of. In the end, there isn't justice for anyone, even John loses by not reaching out to someone he should have reached out to.
There are parts of this novel that were hard to read, especially as someone who has been military for most of their life and who has sent men off to war. Parts of this novel were hard to read because of the blatant racism and disgust that some of the character portrayed, Evelyn Wilson was not a pleasant person, and neither was her daughter, Helen.
In the end, the only issue I had with this book was the slipping of time forward and backward. There were moments that were confusing, and there were moments that were overdone, but overall, the book was pretty good.
March 16, 2021
A la fin de la seconde guerre mondiale, le jeune soldat américain d’origine japonaise, Ray Takahashi, revient sur les lieux de son enfance, bien qu’il sache pertinemment que sa famille en a été chassée au lendemain de l’attaque de Pearl Harbor, pour être internée dans un camp. Pourquoi Ray, plutôt que d’aller rejoindre sa famille installée à Oakland, s’est-il rendu sur la propriété des Wilson, et surtout, qu’est-il advenu de lui par la suite ?
Ces questions, John Frazier, narrateur/écrivain de cette histoire, va s’efforcer d’y répondre. Comme Ray, John est un vétéran, mais d’une autre guerre : celle du Vietnam, qui hante ses nuits. A son retour du Vietnam, John se rend chez sa grand-mère, la seule personne qui lui soit suffisamment proche pour l’aider à surmonter ses traumatismes. La rencontre avec une parente, Evelyn Wilson, révèle à ses yeux des secrets concernant Ray Takahashi, et détermine son envie de connaitre toute l’histoire du jeune homme…
J’avais beaucoup aimé Les Animaux, et attendais avec une impatience grandissante le nouveau roman de Christian Kiefer. Mes attentes ont été plus que comblées : Fantômes est un roman absolument magnifique. Au-delà de la page d’histoire Américaine, les histoires personnelles sont très intéressantes et pertinentes, les contours des personnages extrêmement bien dessinés, et si l’on ressent a minima de l’agacement vis-à-vis du comportement de certains d’entre eux, l’auteur se garde bien de porter un quelconque jugement. Les fantômes qui hantent les lieux et le narrateur vont me hanter longtemps.
Car les fantômes sont nombreux dans le roman : ceux des protagonistes d’un passé que cherche à élucider le narrateur ; les ombres des soldats et des civils morts au Vietnam ; mais les Phantoms, ce sont également les bombardiers américains qui larguaient du napalm sur les civils au Vietnam, avions que John Frazier était chargé d’appeler en renfort. Le narrateur en ressent une immense culpabilité, dûe également au soulagement qu’il pouvait éprouver en voyant arriver ces Phantoms qui prenaient la vie de civils innocents pour épargner la sienne. John Frazier porte aussi en lui la culpabilité de ce que les Wilson (sa famille éloignée), ont fait subir aux Takahashi. Il tente de trouver dans l’écriture et dans la recherche de la vérité une sorte d’apaisement ; il semble redonner aux ombres des disparus une vie de papier.
Après l’attaque de Pearl Harbor la population d’origine Japonaise semble cristalliser toutes les peurs de la population américaine rurale ici décrite, conduisant à la rupture de liens pourtant très forts entre communautés, et à la passivité des blancs lors de la déportation de leurs voisins et amis nippo-américains. Christian Kiefer raconte avec beaucoup de justesse les sentiments communautaristes, dont l’Amérique peine à se défaire, encore aujourd’hui.
L’écriture est absolument splendide et restituée dans toute sa beauté par Marina Boraso. Le ton est empreint d’empathie et de nostalgie ; la narration saute habilement d’une époque à l’autre, conjuguant ainsi une sorte d’universalité des souffrances.
C’est pour moi un très grand coup de cœur ; je ressors bouleversée et enchantée par cette lecture.
Je remercie Léa Guignery du Picabo River Book Club et les éditions Albin Michel pour l’envoi de ce nouveau bijou en Terres d’Amérique, qui jamais ne m’ont déçue !
Ces questions, John Frazier, narrateur/écrivain de cette histoire, va s’efforcer d’y répondre. Comme Ray, John est un vétéran, mais d’une autre guerre : celle du Vietnam, qui hante ses nuits. A son retour du Vietnam, John se rend chez sa grand-mère, la seule personne qui lui soit suffisamment proche pour l’aider à surmonter ses traumatismes. La rencontre avec une parente, Evelyn Wilson, révèle à ses yeux des secrets concernant Ray Takahashi, et détermine son envie de connaitre toute l’histoire du jeune homme…
J’avais beaucoup aimé Les Animaux, et attendais avec une impatience grandissante le nouveau roman de Christian Kiefer. Mes attentes ont été plus que comblées : Fantômes est un roman absolument magnifique. Au-delà de la page d’histoire Américaine, les histoires personnelles sont très intéressantes et pertinentes, les contours des personnages extrêmement bien dessinés, et si l’on ressent a minima de l’agacement vis-à-vis du comportement de certains d’entre eux, l’auteur se garde bien de porter un quelconque jugement. Les fantômes qui hantent les lieux et le narrateur vont me hanter longtemps.
Car les fantômes sont nombreux dans le roman : ceux des protagonistes d’un passé que cherche à élucider le narrateur ; les ombres des soldats et des civils morts au Vietnam ; mais les Phantoms, ce sont également les bombardiers américains qui larguaient du napalm sur les civils au Vietnam, avions que John Frazier était chargé d’appeler en renfort. Le narrateur en ressent une immense culpabilité, dûe également au soulagement qu’il pouvait éprouver en voyant arriver ces Phantoms qui prenaient la vie de civils innocents pour épargner la sienne. John Frazier porte aussi en lui la culpabilité de ce que les Wilson (sa famille éloignée), ont fait subir aux Takahashi. Il tente de trouver dans l’écriture et dans la recherche de la vérité une sorte d’apaisement ; il semble redonner aux ombres des disparus une vie de papier.
Après l’attaque de Pearl Harbor la population d’origine Japonaise semble cristalliser toutes les peurs de la population américaine rurale ici décrite, conduisant à la rupture de liens pourtant très forts entre communautés, et à la passivité des blancs lors de la déportation de leurs voisins et amis nippo-américains. Christian Kiefer raconte avec beaucoup de justesse les sentiments communautaristes, dont l’Amérique peine à se défaire, encore aujourd’hui.
L’écriture est absolument splendide et restituée dans toute sa beauté par Marina Boraso. Le ton est empreint d’empathie et de nostalgie ; la narration saute habilement d’une époque à l’autre, conjuguant ainsi une sorte d’universalité des souffrances.
C’est pour moi un très grand coup de cœur ; je ressors bouleversée et enchantée par cette lecture.
Je remercie Léa Guignery du Picabo River Book Club et les éditions Albin Michel pour l’envoi de ce nouveau bijou en Terres d’Amérique, qui jamais ne m’ont déçue !
December 13, 2023
The novel Phantoms by Christian Kiefer is a book about a young adult named John Frazier who returns back to California after serving in the Vietnam War. This story is narrated by John Frazier and he tells the story between two families and these two families are the Takahashi’s and the Wilson’s. In the beginning of this book we are introduced to a person named Ray Takahashi returning from war and he is the only son in the Takahashi family. Also we are told the back story of who the Takahashi’s are and how they met the Wilson family. This book is set in the 1940s and continues through the 1970s. Before World War 2 begins Hiro Takahashi the father moves to the United States to live a better life and eventually has an arranged marriage with Kimiko Takahashi who is a young adult that was forced to marry Hiro. After Kimiko and Hiro got married and had kids it made Hiro try to find a better job to support his family. This is when Hiro met Mr. Wilson as he also needed more workers on his farm. This led to Hiro and Mr. Wilson becoming friends and them meeting gave Hiro the opportunity to get a job and have a place to stay on Mr. Wilson’s property. As the story continues it reveals many separate stories and issues between these two families. While the book mostly explains the story between these two families we are also introduced to the narrator, John Frazier and he talks about his life and his experiences after coming back from World War 2. This book is very interesting as it tells us many untold stories of how Japanese Americans were mistreated and how they faced many injustices. It also explains the trauma and tragedies veterans had to face from World War 2 and the Vietnam War.
This book is very good as it tells us many separate stories that eventually crossover each other and make sense in the end. One thing I like about this book is how the stories that are told aren’t necessarily told in chronological order but the information is explained to the reader in chronological order. However, one thing I didn’t like about this book is that when the narrator would bounce around many stories it is sometimes hard to follow the first time you are reading but after a second read it is easier to understand who the narrator is talking about. Overall this book is a must read if you like history and realistic fiction type books.
This book is very good as it tells us many separate stories that eventually crossover each other and make sense in the end. One thing I like about this book is how the stories that are told aren’t necessarily told in chronological order but the information is explained to the reader in chronological order. However, one thing I didn’t like about this book is that when the narrator would bounce around many stories it is sometimes hard to follow the first time you are reading but after a second read it is easier to understand who the narrator is talking about. Overall this book is a must read if you like history and realistic fiction type books.
December 12, 2022
Phantoms by Christian Kiefer is an enlightening novel surrounding the experience of a Japanese American Family during World War 2. This novel is a great read if you enjoy reading historical fiction in your free time. In my experience, the majority of historical fiction novels surrounding the second World War tend to focus on the German overtake and concentration camps which is all great history to read about but there is so much more to the war than just that part. Kiefer does an amazing job unfolding the story and focusing on details. He transports the reader into the lives of these people and the intense emotions are felt through his words. The main characters in the novel are Kimiko Takahashi and Evelyn Wilson. Kimiko just wants to know of the whereabouts of her son after he left for the war and didn’t return home and Evelyn has all the information Kimiko needs. A story of two families that were once so close but ended up strangers. John Frazier acts as a narrator and middleman throughout the story. His timeline and life story has so little connection to either of the lives of these women, but he happens upon their lives and in the end learns a lot he needed to discover about himself as a person. This personal journey John takes alongside the history in the story makes the novel feel personal and relatable. Kiefer also puts into perspective the reality of living in America for Japanese Americans during the second World War. I had never learned much about internment camps and this novel explained them to be pretty much as I imagined. In my experience, it is not something that is widely spoken about when learning about American history. It is mentioned but doesn’t seem to get much time being shared so I am glad that I was able to understand this sad part of American history a little better after reading this novel.
-Breanna Borja
-Breanna Borja
December 16, 2022
In "Phantoms," Christian Kiefer tackles the weighty topic of American guilt through the lens of a Vietnam War veteran named John Frazier. After finding himself caught in a decades-long feud between his aunt, Evelyn Wilson, and her former neighbor, Kimiko Takahashi, John begins to uncover the disturbing history at the heart of their conflict.
As it turns out, the Takahashi family had been forcibly removed from the Wilson orchard and sent to an internment camp during World War II. Despite their loyalty to their country, the Takahashis were deemed a threat simply because of their Japanese heritage. The question that has always lingered in the minds of both families is what happened to Ray Takahashi, the family's son, when he returned from serving in the war and found that he no longer had a home in Placer County or anywhere else for that matter.
As John delves deeper into the mystery of Ray's disappearance, he is forced to confront his own guilt and the role that his own family played in the Takahashi's plight. Kiefer's writing is evocative and thought-provoking, and he does an excellent job of weaving together the past and present stories in an engaging and emotionally resonant way.
One of the aspects that stood out to me of Phantoms is Kiefer's ability to bring the setting to life. He vividly describes the landscapes and environments of Placer County, making the reader feel as if they are right there alongside the characters. The historical elements of the novel are also well-researched and add depth to the story.
Overall, "Phantoms" is a powerful and poignant exploration of the impact of war and injustice on both individuals and communities. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the broader themes of American history and how the actions of the past continue to shape our present and future.
-- David
As it turns out, the Takahashi family had been forcibly removed from the Wilson orchard and sent to an internment camp during World War II. Despite their loyalty to their country, the Takahashis were deemed a threat simply because of their Japanese heritage. The question that has always lingered in the minds of both families is what happened to Ray Takahashi, the family's son, when he returned from serving in the war and found that he no longer had a home in Placer County or anywhere else for that matter.
As John delves deeper into the mystery of Ray's disappearance, he is forced to confront his own guilt and the role that his own family played in the Takahashi's plight. Kiefer's writing is evocative and thought-provoking, and he does an excellent job of weaving together the past and present stories in an engaging and emotionally resonant way.
One of the aspects that stood out to me of Phantoms is Kiefer's ability to bring the setting to life. He vividly describes the landscapes and environments of Placer County, making the reader feel as if they are right there alongside the characters. The historical elements of the novel are also well-researched and add depth to the story.
Overall, "Phantoms" is a powerful and poignant exploration of the impact of war and injustice on both individuals and communities. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the broader themes of American history and how the actions of the past continue to shape our present and future.
-- David
May 19, 2022
From the rolling hills of Northern California to the deep jungles of Vietnam, Phantoms, by Christian Kiefer, takes us on journey through the lives of two families who, inevitably, find their lives intertwined as they try to find closure for experiences they both endured.
Raymond Takahashi is a soldier just returning to the United States after fighting overseas in World War II. Now, when we think about our soldiers returning from war, most of us think about welcoming them with open arms, maybe even throwing them a parade or a welcome home party. Unfortunately, this was not the case for Raymond. The home that he grew up in, the farm that he tended to when he was a boy, was no longer welcoming. A strange woman opened the door, and it was clear, this was not somewhere he could continue to call home. Raymond struggles with trying to find purpose in this new life after war, clinging to memories and relationships he once had had before his family was sent to the internment camps after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
John Frazier is adjusting from his return after fighting in Vietnam. He is struggling from an addiction that he acquired while fighting overseas and ends up going to his grandmother’s home to start a fresh life. Little did he know his life would forever be changed after arriving there. This is where he meets his aunt, Evelyn Wilson. Here, the story of the Takahashi’s and Wilson’s come together, and takes John on a journey to find out what really happened all those years ago.
I really enjoyed reading this novel. The hunt for answers keeps you turning the pages and not wanting to put it down. It is a relatable story and highlights the struggles of war, addiction, love, and sacrifice. All in all, it’s a great book and I highly recommend reading it.
Raymond Takahashi is a soldier just returning to the United States after fighting overseas in World War II. Now, when we think about our soldiers returning from war, most of us think about welcoming them with open arms, maybe even throwing them a parade or a welcome home party. Unfortunately, this was not the case for Raymond. The home that he grew up in, the farm that he tended to when he was a boy, was no longer welcoming. A strange woman opened the door, and it was clear, this was not somewhere he could continue to call home. Raymond struggles with trying to find purpose in this new life after war, clinging to memories and relationships he once had had before his family was sent to the internment camps after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
John Frazier is adjusting from his return after fighting in Vietnam. He is struggling from an addiction that he acquired while fighting overseas and ends up going to his grandmother’s home to start a fresh life. Little did he know his life would forever be changed after arriving there. This is where he meets his aunt, Evelyn Wilson. Here, the story of the Takahashi’s and Wilson’s come together, and takes John on a journey to find out what really happened all those years ago.
I really enjoyed reading this novel. The hunt for answers keeps you turning the pages and not wanting to put it down. It is a relatable story and highlights the struggles of war, addiction, love, and sacrifice. All in all, it’s a great book and I highly recommend reading it.
May 19, 2023
Christian Kiefer weaves an engrossing story through some of America’s worst conflicts, World War II and the Vietnam War. The narrator is John Frazier who is returning from the Vietnam War with a healthy dose of cynicism and drug addictions. John decides to recuperate at his Grandma's house in Auburn Ca. While working at a gas station a chance encounter changes John’s trajectory. This leads him down a rabbit hole where he chauffeurs his Aunt Wilson to a supposed friend’s house in Oakland. It is here where he gets drawn into the mystery of a certain Ray Takahashi. It is at this point where the novel picks up steam and momentum as we discover the intricacies and connections between characters from the past and present.
The rest of the story shifts between Frazier narrating in his present day and him narrating the Takahashi family during WWII. It is an interesting contrast between the narrator, who seems to be against the follies of war, and WWII America where the war effort was portrayed between life and death. The Takahashis are Japanese Americans that become interred. Ray Takahashi makes the choice to serve in the army. After the war it is revealed that he returns to his old home in Auburn.
This story is told with constant cuts between periods and locations. The only constant is Frazier as a narrator. Kiefer manages to spin a captivating tale of how love and loss is intertwined. There is real suspense and mystery in the writing and in the plot. Kiefer does a very nice job of giving the characters a real sense of humanity. Fate has brought an unlikely cast of characters together to piece together what happened over 25 years ago. This is a very well put together novel that blends together messages of grief, anger, and hope.
-Burke
The rest of the story shifts between Frazier narrating in his present day and him narrating the Takahashi family during WWII. It is an interesting contrast between the narrator, who seems to be against the follies of war, and WWII America where the war effort was portrayed between life and death. The Takahashis are Japanese Americans that become interred. Ray Takahashi makes the choice to serve in the army. After the war it is revealed that he returns to his old home in Auburn.
This story is told with constant cuts between periods and locations. The only constant is Frazier as a narrator. Kiefer manages to spin a captivating tale of how love and loss is intertwined. There is real suspense and mystery in the writing and in the plot. Kiefer does a very nice job of giving the characters a real sense of humanity. Fate has brought an unlikely cast of characters together to piece together what happened over 25 years ago. This is a very well put together novel that blends together messages of grief, anger, and hope.
-Burke
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