The Book of Jonah

December 2, 2013
Two lost souls seek meaning in this enticing debut novel about faith and the “inescapability of being (oneself).” Jonah Jacobstein, a ladder-climbing associate at a large Manhattan law firm, finds himself in the throes of a spiritual malaise that recalls the story of his Biblical namesake. Jonah is plagued by alarming visions that include the city sinking underwater and everyone around him suddenly appearing naked. He breaks things off with his erstwhile girl-on-the-side, Zoey, comes clean about his infidelity to his girlfriend, Sylvia, and is fired from his job for a half-hearted whistleblowing attempt. Jonah decamps to Amsterdam and meets Judith, a fellow ambivalent Jew with a tragic past. Convinced that their encounter contains the final piece in his spiritual puzzle, Jonah seeks from her both absolution and closure. When it comes down to it, Jonah’s journey, which includes two break-ups, a firing, relocation, and a new love interest, has all the makings for a mediocre romantic comedy. But even the most banal events can lead to existential and religious revelations, which Feldman shows here, for instance, when a character observes that “the most potent experiences in life end up making what tell you less believable, not more.” Agent: Susan Golomb, Susan Golomb Literary Agency.

David Pittu is one of those expert narrators who disappear into a story. You don't hear him interpreting it, or commenting on it; he becomes part of it. His task here is to portray a young Master of the Universe called Jonah whose ambition, selfishness, and willingness to betray should make you want to kick him down the stairs. But Pittu puts you inside Jonah, makes you feel what he feels, and as his life blows up, what he feels is shattering. Jonah's tale runs parallel to the story of Judith, an equally driven, traumatized, and complex character whom Pittu inhabits just as fully as he does Jonah. You know they're going to meet, and you have to know what happens. It's a bravura performance. B.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

May 1, 2014

Jonah is a successful but unhappy Manhattan lawyer involved in such deals as helping a client steal another company's idea. He has plenty of money and two beautiful women in love with him, but Jonah still feels that something is missing. After a chance encounter with a Hasidic Jew on the subway, Jonah begins to consider the Hasid's proclamation that "only their body is clothed, but their soul is naked." Jonah begins to have visions that propel him to reconsider his life, though he doesn't want to accept that he may be chosen by God. He travels to Amsterdam where he meets Judith, another lost soul. Orphaned on 9/11, Judith has never recovered and has sought solace in casual sex and the pursuit of money. Together Judith and Jonah may find something like redemption. VERDICT Narrator David Pittu beautifully captures the voices of the protagonists along with the many secondary characters in this thought-provoking book about two lost souls seeking meaning. Recommended.--Judy Murray, Monroe Cty. Lib. Syst., MI

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