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From
the moment the deeply eccentric Hiroshi, a budding
Japanese jazz genius, hits American ground, the
ground starts hitting back with everything it’s
got — just as he is to begin a high-profile
gig that promises to make his career.
Hiroshi’s experiences in New York are exhilarating
and humiliating, thrilling and traumatic in equal
measure. As the quirky, disaster-prone, and language-
and music-obsessed artist struggles to recover
both emotionally and physically from a paralyzing
illness that is not permanent but whose aftereffects
may render him unable to ever again play his clarinet,
he must also cope with the long-distance betrayal
of his beautiful girlfriend and with his sublimated
guilt over his role in the death of his sister
many years ago, at the dusty end of a mysterious
route she called “The Forbidden Pathway”
in the tiny country town in Japan where they grew
up.
This seriocomic novel, densely populated with
quirky characters, is a love letter to New York
City and to the English language. It also shines
a spotlight on one fairly peculiar corner of the
Japanese sensibility embodied in its hyperconscious
but absentminded, sensual but abstracted, intelligent
but terribly innocent hero, a Japanese Lucky Jim,
who comes to terms with becoming an adult and
respecting his gifts against the dual backgrounds
of a mysterious pathway in Japan, which now exists
only in his memory, and what he lovingly describes
as “the filthy charm of New York City,”
in the only too-real present day.
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“You’ve all read a coming of age novel or
two. You’ve all read a novel about an alienated
genius. You’ve all read a novel that doubles
as a love letter to a certain place or time. What
you haven’t read is a novel that so masterfully
intertwines all three of these things. . . . With
a voice that is both funny and tragic, Michael
Antman urges us to follow Hiroshi page after page,
to discovery and interpretation of the new world
he finds himself in (physically and mentally).
Cherry Whip is a great tragicomedy that
serves as a love letter to both the mystery of
Japan and the dirty shadows of New York City.
I highly
recommend this book for anyone who is tired of
the same old story. Michael Antman is an author
to watch!” — Kevin
Elliott, Barbara’s
Bookstores and BurningJelly.com
“Moving and sexy and funny in fresh ways.”
— Jay Rubin, author of Haruki
Murakami and the Music of Words
“Michael Antman’s writing style reminds me
very much of Mark Salzman and his characters’
journey through one’s self. This is an exceptional
novel, well written and inspired by life’s
surprises.” — David
G. Phillips
“Cherry Whip is a beautifully written meditation
on love, language, music, and the mystery of existence.”
— Christopher D. Guerin
“This is a book that really grabs your attention,
from the very beginning. You don't have to plod
through it to get to the good parts. I found myself
going on many fascinating, sometimes hilarious,
journeys with the thought processes of the main
character, Hiroshi. And Hiroshi has a wonderful
cognitive flexibility and curiosity about life,
a curiosity he is able to maintain even when facing
tragedy. There is tragedy in the book —
but there are also times when the book will have
you laughing out loud. Great summer read. I highly
recommend it.” — Anne
Prohov
“Cherry Whip is a marvelous novel by Michael
Antman — light and frothy
at times, like its namesake confection, but also
sometimes heavy and serious, like a cherry whip’s
chocolate coating. . . . a quirky modern book
full of artfully woven humor, pathos, and seeming
contradictions. . . . leaves the reader with an
overall pleasant aftertaste and a desire to see
more great writing from this up-and-coming author
in the future.” — Douglas
R. Cobb, Curled
Up With a Good Book
“Cherry Whip is a relatively quick read
. . . but it is a true page turner. I found myself
caring about Hiroshi, feeling sympathy for him
and rooting for him to solve his problems and
come out victorious on the other side.”
— Joan Jones, Estella’s
Revenge
| trade
paperback
5.25" X 8.25"
240 pp.
list price $17.95
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