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A review by jatridle
After Silence by Jonathan Carroll
2.0
I've been wanting to read Jonathan Carroll for awhile, and I hope I just picked the wrong book to start off with. There were a lot of things about After Silence that I didn't like. For one, I felt through the last third of the book that I was seeing the story from the least interesting perspective of the options available. To me, this didn't seem like Max Fischer's story to tell. I'm not really suggesting the book should have switched perspectives-- but Max's distant view of it all bothered me.
I also found that the more I read, the less sympathy I had for the choices the characters made-- and I'm not talking about either of the "big doozy of choices" that the book is all about, but a lot of the smaller ones. There was a lot of secrecy going on between the characters in the last portion of the book that seemed only to exist to keep the plot moving. I couldn't buy it as existing for any other reason.
I also just really didn't like these characters. The long, drawn out explanation from Lily for the thing that she'd done made me want to vomit. Being expected to get to tell it without interruption-- like anyone owed her that. It made me nuts. Also, there was the boring, irrelevant thought process I was expected to be interested in that was going on in Max's head as he was flying to try to prevent a horrendous catastrophe that could irrevocably change-- or end, several people's lives made me want to shake him 'til his teeth rattled. If I was on that plane with him, I'd be shouting "Shut up! Shut up!I don't find every damn thing that goes through your head that f@#king interesting!" I don't know, I just didn't like these people.
Also, Carroll cheated with his plot in a huge enough way at the end of the book that I wanted to write him and demand my money back. I still might.
Anyway, I know this is a pretty vague review. It's been a few weeks since I finished reading the book. I have one more of his books to try. Hopefully I will like that one better.
I also found that the more I read, the less sympathy I had for the choices the characters made-- and I'm not talking about either of the "big doozy of choices" that the book is all about, but a lot of the smaller ones. There was a lot of secrecy going on between the characters in the last portion of the book that seemed only to exist to keep the plot moving.
Spoiler
Like why Max didn't tell Lily that Lincoln knew the "big secret" as he left the restaurant. It didn't make sense to me. She could have been in huge danger, but, oh well.I also just really didn't like these characters. The long, drawn out explanation from Lily for the thing that she'd done made me want to vomit. Being expected to get to tell it without interruption-- like anyone owed her that. It made me nuts. Also, there was the boring, irrelevant thought process I was expected to be interested in that was going on in Max's head as he was flying to try to prevent a horrendous catastrophe that could irrevocably change-- or end, several people's lives made me want to shake him 'til his teeth rattled. If I was on that plane with him, I'd be shouting "Shut up! Shut up!I don't find every damn thing that goes through your head that f@#king interesting!" I don't know, I just didn't like these people.
Also, Carroll cheated with his plot in a huge enough way at the end of the book that I wanted to write him and demand my money back. I still might.
Anyway, I know this is a pretty vague review. It's been a few weeks since I finished reading the book. I have one more of his books to try. Hopefully I will like that one better.