American Ghosts: A Memoir

Searing, haunting, moving, I found myself gasping for breath, praying to god, and fearing the woods of America's past in my skin.

David Plante is a serious and committed writer who has over the years produced thirteen novels. This is the second memoir he has published, the first being an account of his friendship with three charismatic, famous women. One of the greatest things Plante is able to do in his non-fiction is raise questions about the nature of our existence. In this book he traces the history of his family and ponders what affect their lives and beliefs have had on his own character. He grew up in a strong French-Canadian Catholic community in Providence. There are moments he recounts in his childhood which he believes either contributed to who he became or were indications of a personality which was there from the start. Like many writers, when Plante grew to be a teenager he moved far away from his home in an attempt to almost completely reinvent himself by travelling and studying throughout Europe. Interestingly it was the aimless explorations and chance meetings which seem to have impacted him the most during that formative period. But while he grew older and became more established, questions about his origins became more urgent to him. No matter how much he traces his father's wilfully obscured Native American history or his mother's far reaching French origins, the factors which contribute to Plante's unique identity remain opaque. His inquiry into essential questions about his wavering beliefs and family background truly relate to the way each of our individual religious, social and familial backgrounds impact who we are and our quest to overcome our origins.