Glass Soup

This book is a sequel to “White Apples”, which I did not know before I started reading. Apparently it doesn’t much matter; the gist of it is that Vincent and Isabelle fell in love, Vincent died, and Isabell did the whole Orpheus thing and went to the land of the dead and brought him back to life. “Glass Soup” takes place very shortly after that. Isabelle is pregnant, and her child is a very important one: the fate of the universe hinges on whether he is born in the land of the living or of the dead. This novel is Order fighting against Chaos, with Isabelle’s child representing Order.

The story actually starts when Simon Haden wakes up into a world where he is a tour guide (it takes place in Vienna). The bus is driven by an show more octopus; one passenger is made of butter; another is a really bored bag of caramels. A 6” tall man named Broximon hangs out with him. It turns out that AC/DC was right: there is literally a multilane highway to Hell. Simon, as he finally figures out, is dead. The afterlife is made of every single dream and nightmare a person has had in their life. Ugh.

The plot has various beings- one of them a shape-shifting, womanizing, serial killer- trying to get Isabelle on one side of life or death or the other. I really liked it, and I’m not even sure why. I disliked pretty much all the characters. But overall the book as fascinating. It’s a love story, and a story of friendships, despite God being a polar bear. Four stars out of five. show less

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 show more 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. show less

I found this book during a random trip to Goodwill. Most of the times I've gone there I'll come out with a couple books that end up being nice additions to my collection. Most times, though, I usually don't find books that are just spot-on for my taste using this method. Living in the Bible Belt, there aren't just a whole lot of second hand books with metaphysical and surreal themes. Jonathan Carroll is known for his magical realism, which if you know me, you know I love some magic (read: any fantastic stories, not just witch/troll/fairies etc). However, I really don't like when authors go overboard with saccharine characters and perfectly predictable plots which end up with everything exactly as it should and all are happy and woodland show more critters help you clean your room and sing Disney songs to you... If you feel me.

In this book the afterlife is created out of the dreams and subconscious thoughts a person had while they were alive. Danger is following a living woman named Isabelle and her unborn child, whose birth will effect all of existence and the balance of power between Chaos and Order. The only person who can help her is a dead man who may not even know he is dead yet.

I made the mistake of reading this book without knowing it is actually a sequel to another book by Carroll, called White Apples. I had no idea it was a sequel until after I was done but it really didn't matter. This book is fine as an independent and worked well as a stand-alone, and I think that says something. (Although I will now be finding White Apples and reading it asap if its half as good as this one - but I hear its even better!) show less

It was strange picking up Glass Soup. While The Wooden Sea and White Apples fit together into the same sequence, they fit together plot wise but not so much right where the last one left off. Glass Soup is a very direct sequel to White Apples. There's enough background information in it that you don't necessarily have to read White Apples first, but I'd still recommend doing it. For one, it really helps you feel more for the characters and the choices they make.

I feel strangely about the book as well due to the ending. Having just finished it, I'm still in that strange post-reading haze where I can't decide what I think. The book was beautiful, as most of Carroll's books are. His commentary on the nature of life and his idea of God are show more also incredibly intriguing. It definitely takes the cake for the most shocking opening images, and did get a few laughs out loud.

Most of what I can say about it is that there was a marked difference between Carroll's worldview in Glass Soup than in The Ghost In Love. I think that is primarily what stopped me from enjoying it as much as I could have. I tend to be a bit more optimistic. show less

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.

Carroll writes beautiful prose. Reading this book, I was actually compelled to stop, call my friends one by one, and read to them from the book; it was that splendid. I've never done that before.

Makes me wish I remembered more of what happened in White Apples, but enough is recapped that I can get by. While this is technically a sequel, I think one could probably read this without having read the other and still have it make sense. Well, as much sense as Jonathan Carroll ever does.