Michael Antman’s novel Cherry Whip is likeable, believable, and falls into a kind of introspective category most stories often only skim the surface of. His main character, Hiroshi (a genius jazz musician), helps shape a funny, frequently thoughtful voyage about what it means to exist in the present based on an uneven past and an even less certain future.

In keeping with his versatile cast of characters, the dialogue flows well from clever banter to decisive, intense speech (i.e. “Man, what is it with you Japanese and suicide?”). Antman’s portrayal of an outsider in America seems spot-on, following 22-year-old Hiroshi into places both painful and positive at times. It is the classic struggle with identity that stems from youth and fear, where fear of the unknown is gradually replaced by acceptance.

Leaving behind a relationship in Japan, Hiroshi embarks on new and intriguing connections in New York, as he is recovering from an unfortunate condition in a New York hotel. While considering the future of his career, our protagonist begins to deal with the effect of his sister’s suicide on his own life. And as a result, his recovery comes in waves, both inside and out.

Cherry Whip makes for a very smart, cohesive read. It is unselfish in the way it deals with affairs of the heart, familiar and foreign alike. ( )

“Cherry Whip” by Michael Antman has many unique qualities. The first thing I noticed and liked about this novel is Antman’s ability to create complex and intriguing characters that seem to be so different yet intertwine so well. The dialogue is humorous in its raw form while the internal monologue of the main character, Hiroshi, adds a distinct perspective on what it means to exist in the present based on past and future objectives.
The second thing I particularly enjoyed about this novel is the way Antman reveals America to the reader through a character discovering an America that seems to continually slap him in the face. Instead of fighting against his bad luck, the 22-year-old Hiroshi struggles to find a balance between the things he can control and the things he can’t.
Hiroshi is a jazz musician genius who travels to New York with the hopes to promote his career, but shortly after his plane lands he begins to feel the rare aftereffects from the immunization shots he needed to enter America. Hiroshi is diagnosed with Guillain-Barré, a state that renders him temporarily paralyzed.
Hiroshi lives in a New York hotel while he recovers, leaving behind a relationship in Japan and forging new and interesting relationships in America. While he contemplates the direction of his career after his illness, Hiroshi also explores the depths to which he was affected by his sister’s suicide and learns that perhaps the process of recovery outside of the body is nothing compared to the recovery that takes place within. ( )

In “Cherry Whip”, Michael Antman explores the process of acclimating oneself to a foreign culture in a variety of events. Hiroshi is a relatively unknown clarinet player who arrives in New York City from Japan to play a few shows and interact with other musicians. From the very beginning, he is met with misfortune; he accidentally leaves his brand new clarinet, a gift from his father, somewhere in the city and has no idea where to find it. Within the next few days, he finds himself crippled with Guillain-Barre – a disease that leaves him completely, albeit temporarily, paralyzed from his neck down. After three months in the hospital, he is released back into the city and forced to find his way in the city.

Hiroshi’s life in New York is compiled of unexpected and at times comedic events and people. As the novel follows his new life it also delves into the secrets of Hiroshi’s past. He is plagued by the memories of a sister who’s fate he feels he could have changed and feels guilty for the disappointment his father feels towards his late mediocrity. His heart is pulled in a million different directions as his concern for the girlfriend he left behind in Japan, the new women in his life in New York and his family weighs him down.

The story of Hiroshi is one that many can sympathize and connect with. It is a story of love, loss, regret and identity. Antman does a wonderful job showing the pain of Hiroshi’s condition, both physically and emotionally. We follow Hiroshi as he experiences all that the city has to offer and witness the effects of these experiences as he beings to find the courage to handle his life, all on his own. ( )