After seeing Neil Gaiman’s endorsement on the front cover, I had to pick up a copy of Glass Soup. What I found inside was wonderful, from cover to cover. It begins seemingly ordinary, but very quickly transforms into a weird and wonderful story including many interesting ideas about the afterlife.

In retrospect, this book would probably even be better if I’d read other Jonathan Carroll books that include characters that then appear in this novel, but it still works as a stand-alone novel. Wonderful stuff. ( )

This will probably be a short review – which is odd given how much I love Jonathan Carroll’s books. I read them out of order, so I am always a bit lost in his world(s). The same characters appear in several books, but I can’t keep track of what they’ve done and how they are all connected…but I am perfectly fine with that. In fact, I love it.

I was lucky enough to attend one of his readings of “White Apples” – and was sucked into his universe. Life, death, love, bull terriers, life sized bags of caramels…his “magical realism” (per his website) is a delight.

For instance, I can be reading along – interested enough in the first character in “Glass Soup”, Simon Haden, when suddenly, the following paragraph yanks my eyebrows up into my hairline.

“If someone had told Simon Haden that he was a colossal prick and why, he would not have understood. He would not have denied it, he would not have understood. Because pretty people think the world should forgive whatever their sins are simply because they exist.”

“He finished in the bathroom and went to the bedroom. The envelope containing the day’s instructions lay on the dresser. In his underpants and sheer black socks, he picked it up and tore it open.”

“A little man the size of a candy bar stepped out of the envelope and into his hand. ‘Haden, how you doin’?’”

HELLO! My attention has been kicked into overdrive and I remember why I like these books so much. I love being caught off guard.

The story progresses as Simon gets onto his tour bus, “There were a few people, a few animals, two cartoon characters, and an almost six foot tall bag of caramels.”

I don’t mean to suggest that Carroll’s writing or characters or plot are goofy or silly…everything has its reason for existing in his world. Everything is a symbol, a link to another book or another character’s life.

I am a lazy Carroll reader, I must admit. I KNOW there is so much more to be gleaned from his books, but I mostly just settle back and enjoy the ride.

“God’s office was nothing special. By the way it was furnished it could just as easily have belonged to a North Dakota dentist or some comb-over in middle management. The secretary/receptionist was a forty-something nondescript who told Haden in a neutral voice to take a seat. “He’ll be with you in a minute.” Then she went back to typing – on a typewriter. God’s secretary used a manual typewriter.”

But still? Sometimes I put down this box of literary bon-bons and savor an idea like this one:
“Another time they might have had a rewarding relationship. But there are people we meet in life that miss being important to us by inches, days or heartbeats. Another place or time or emotional frame of mind and we would willingly fall into their arms; gladly take up their challenge or invitation. But as it is, we encounter them when we are discontent or content and they are not. Whatever serious chemistry might have possible if, isn’t.”

Hmmm. Maybe this review wasn’t that short after all. ( )

Seemed like perhaps an alternative draft of his earlier book, White Apples. The story was so similar, treading much the same ground, that it seemed like it was originally meant to be White Apples. And then the author massaged it into a "sequel". Disappointing. Glad I read White Apples first. It was much better. Don't think I'll be reading more by this author though. Apparently his other books are just more of the same: somebody is dead, and comes back. Yawn. Give me Tim Powers any day. Or Jeffrey Ford. Or... ( )

I'm a big Jonathan Carroll fan, ever since I read Land of Laughs. Carroll manages to mix mundane with mystical in a very charming way. Glass Soup continues where White Apples left the story of Vincent, Isabelle and their child messiah. This makes recommending this book very straightforward: if you've read White Apples and enjoyed it, Glass Soup is a must read book. If you haven't read White Apples, start there.

That said, I think this is quite a worthy sequel to White Apples. The story is quite as odd and profound as it was before. Carroll weaves the events beautifully, as the main characters travel around Vienna and cross the borders between life and death. There's odd humour, curious characters, and fairly deep thinking. The opening of the book is delightfully surreal.

(Original review at my review blog.) ( )

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/... ( )