|
This title available from Amazon.com |
In a world where fantasy has somehow become synonymous with endless multi-volumed works of fiction, featuring sword-bearing protagonists on the cover and aping Tolkien in varying degrees of expertise, Jonathan Carroll is another ball of wax entirely, and a refreshing change. If you find it necessary to further subcategorize your fiction, then it would probably be safe to say that "White Apples" is magic realism, with overtones of "literary" fiction - but we won't hold that against it.
At its heart, "White Apples" is a tale of the age-old battle between good and evil, albeit one that is buried under thick layers of fancy. Carroll really piles it on when it comes to the fancy. The story concerns one Vincent Ettrich, who would best be referred to as a protagonist, rather than a hero, since the womanizing tendencies that led to the breakup of his marriage lend him a less than heroic cast.
As the story progresses it becomes obvious to the reader and Vincent that something is slightly amiss. As it turns out, Vincent is probably dead, though it is hard to be sure at first. In the beginning, he has no idea what is going on, but as we move on the memories start filtering back. We soon find that this is a world in which there is no hell - only life, death and purgatory. We also are informed that purgatory is a school and death is a mosaic. People who have died, Vincent among them, relive their entire lives in purgatory in a kind of fast forward mode, though they are also encouraged to visit various parts of their lives in more depth. Vincent does so, even going back as far as the night of his conception.
Vincent moves around in time with an ease that separates the whimsy of fantasy from the machinery and conceptualism of science fiction, and he interacts with living characters in a way that belies the fact that he is dead. Three of the novel's primary supporting characters are women - not surprising considering Vincent's rakish tendencies. There is Coco, his current and somewhat casual love interest; Isabelle, the love of his life and soon to be mother of his child; and his wounded and acerbic ex-wife.
The good versus evil portion of the story concerns chaos, a naggingly persistent force, which has somehow attained consciousness and taken on the persona of one Bruno Mann, who happens to be one of Vincent's co-workers. At first Bruno has us and Vincent convinced that he too is a dead soul. Bruno, who displays such quirky habits as whistling Barry Manilow tunes, is intent on preventing souls from returning to the mosaic, which is their natural tendency and ultimate end, assuming that they are not interfered with.
But that's enough said about the plot, at least without giving everything away. This was my first encounter with Carroll's fiction, though he is apparently an experienced and somewhat renowned fantasist. He does not disappoint when it comes to the fantastic elements of the story, which alternate throughout with the more straightforward unfurling of Vincent's tangled web of relationships.
Along the way we are presented with such oddities as a water sandwich, which Vincent makes and then proceeds to set on fire. Other high points are a cell phone that rings after the battery has been removed, that changes ring tones in mid-ring and displays various improbable scenes; an unborn child who sends text messages to his mother's cell phone, and who also appears as someone else's baby and later as a rather formidable guard dog; a sixty-one pound rat named Alan Wales, who claims to be Vincent's dead self; a character who elucidates the mysteries of the universe using Scrabble tiles; a dog that runs halfway around the world in one night and a somewhat harrowing drive through five years and their attendant seasons.
Overall "White Apples" was time well spent. At times the path veered a bit too close to the monotonous environs of serious fiction for my likes, and some of the fancies seemed a bit forced, but it kept me turning the pages, if only to see what oddity Carroll would come up with next.
William I. Lengeman III has published non-fiction in numerous publications, including Saveur, Historic Traveler, Terra Nova, and the anthology, "An Ear to the Ground." His fiction and poetry have appeared or been accepted for publication in such print venues as Andromeda Spaceways, City Slab and Dark Animus, as well as in numerous independent and small press online publications. For more info and links to stories and his blog, visit 499-Word Tales For The Modern Age.
© 2003 William I. Lengeman III
Ultraverse e-zine is Copyright 2003 Parola Scritta and Chris Africa.
All articles published in this e-zine are copyrighted by their authors, with limited publication rights given to Ultraverse. All other rights are reserved by the author. Distribution without permission is a violation of copyright law.