White Apples

Vincent Ettrich thinks he's just living his normal life, until he realizes that he's already died. And that the woman he's seeing may be something other than human. Then he finds out his other girlfriend -- the one who really matters to him -- is pregnant. With a baby who talks to her. And from there things get really strange.

Jonathan Carroll's writing has this amazing dream-like sensibility to it, a feeling of being based in dream logic, that is simultaneously fascinating and frustrating. It's imaginative, well written, and full of rich symbolism, and yet, I have to admit, halfway through I found myself muttering, "Could you just explain what the heck is going on now, please?" But then, of course, whatever explanations and resolutions show more we're given are also mystical and dreamlike. I appreciate what Carroll's doing here, I think, but it's hard to say for sure whether it really works for me or not. I think I may be a little too attached to real-world logic to appreciate it completely.

Also complicating matters is the fact that I never could quite decide whether I liked any of the characters or not, particularly the main character. His attitudes towards women range from disgusting to oddly touching, and, disturbingly, it was sometimes difficult for me to decide which was which. Which is not actually a bad thing; it makes for complex and human characterization. But it certainly did not help me feel any less conflicted about the novel as a whole. show less

It’s been so many years since I read a book by Jonathan Carrol. This book brings back all of the fun of this author’s novels. The creativity, the surreal happenings, the humor — all of these combine to make a most enjoyable read. This novel, like his others, are tangential rather than lineal. One never knows in which direction it will go.

It begins with Victor Ettrich, a divorced man, father of two children, who remains in love with a former mistress, Isabelle Neukor of Vienna, Austria. She returns to tell him that she is pregnant with his child, but this child communicates with her in an unusual way. Viktor goes on to learn that he is really dead. How and why this happened is at first a mystery both to Vincent and us, the readers. show more As the story gets increasingly weird, it is entertaining to figure out what it all means (if we can!).

I’m not sure that I really understood all of the intricacies of this novel, but I enjoyed trying. My favorite part of this book was when Isabelle visits her grandmother (who admits to being dead) in Vienna. It reflected a dream of my own in which I sometimes wish for time to visit and speak with loved ones who had been part of my life but who are no longer alive.

When I found myself having a hard time following the story line, I knew to just keep reading. I was rewarded by the surprising finale in the last paragraph. I hope others enjoy this imaginative novel as much as I did. show less

This was my first Jonathan Carroll novel, but I can confidently say that it won't be my last.

Vincent Ettrich is a serial womaniser, advertising executive and also recently dead. Except now he's not. He's been brought back by the love of his life for the sake of their unborn son. A son he knew nothing about. But he can't remember being dead, or why or how he's been brought back. And there are forces at work who want to keep him from ever raising that child.

The scope of imagination on display here is mind boggling. Carroll juggles ideas about the afterlife, the meaning of life, what we are here for and how our actions affect others, while keeping what is at heart a love story moving along at a nice pace.

This is part thriller, part show more existential treatise, part philosophical tract....and if that sound off-putting, it shouldn't. This is a wonderful book, full of life love and above all ideas. It will make you think, which is no bad thing.

I shall now go and work my way through Mr. Carroll's back catalogue. My only regret is that I didn't discover this author earlier!

Very highly recommended. show less

I went up and down on this. As always with Carroll, the writing can be wonderful, as in this passage in the first few pages: "She was small and had the thin carnal face of a naughty angel...One with a holy expression, but something else in that look, something wanton. It says the model for this heavenly spirit was probably the artist's mistress."

For quite a while, I feared this was yet another of those well-written sagas of male/female relationships with a tincture of fantasy: the main protagonist has died before the book even starts. Then, without getting into spoilers, the book becomes cosmic pulp fiction with stakes as great as anything E E Smith put together. Some may call it fantasy, but Carroll wants a logical flow more like SF. show more The writer I was most reminded of was R A Lafferty, particularly in a key scene in a barbershop in the latter half of the story. For much of the book, Carroll masterfully manages to tell a surreal tale without causing the reader to give up and accept whatever happens next. Eventually, too many new rules are revealed, and there are few too many interchanges of the form "how do you know?" "I just do!" The ending is fine, just a bit too mechanical.

Recommended with the caveats noted. show less

Odd. An amiable womaniser is eating dinner with his girlfriend when he sees a man he knows to be dead. Later that evening he finds the man's name tattooed on the back of his girlfriend's neck. Things get odder from there. I like books to be unusual; this one sometimes seemed like it was being unusual for the sake of it. I think I'll read more by Carroll before making up my mind.

Postmodern and frequently surreal take on the basic A Guy Named Joe / Heaven Can Wait premise, complete with body-swapping and extended meditations on the thin veil between life and death. It feels like it owes a fair amount to early Neil Gaiman novels, especially Good Omens and American Gods, although Carroll avoids depicting literal gods, angels or devils. There are interesting ideas here, but the characters have a tendency to proclaim rather than act, and there are several moments where you (finally) think you know where it's going only to have the rug pulled out from under you. Others might appreciate all that more, but by the end, it felt just a little bit full of itself to me.

I loved this book. It's one of the most beautiful and unusual love stories I've read. And Carroll's ideas about God, death, love, and Chaos make for fascinating reading. It's a pretty quick read too, one you really get caught up in and don't want to put down. See if this first paragraph doesn't grab you right away:

Patience never wants Wonder to enter the house: because Wonder is a wretched guest. It uses all of you but is not careful with what is most fragile or irreplaceable. If it breaks you, it shrugs and moves on. Without asking, Wonder often brings along dubious friends: doubt, jealousy, greed. Together they take over; rearrange the furniture in every one of your rooms for their own comfort. They speak odd languages but make no show more attempt to translate for you. They cook strange meals in your heart that leave odd tastes and smells. When they finally go are you happy or miserable? Patience is always left holding the broom. show less