What do you think?
The Eyes of the Carp
Kevin writes, "Who kills but the strong? And who dies but the willing?"
Strange questions, certainly, but, to Kevin, their answers are obvious.
He is lyrical, intelligent, looks inward, forward, outward, backward, sees nightmares everywhere, makes these nightmares work, finds much in them about which he can congratulate himself — for instance, deaths that are slow and meaningful and, as he interprets them, deaths that bring welcome release. Not only to him. But to the others, as well.
And what about the others? What about their poor, short lives? What remains after they’ve passed? What about their stuff, their plans, the grudges they hold?
And who in the name of heaven, or hell, are ghastly William and fat Leonard? And why does the apparently absent and obviously naked Janet, with whom Kevin spent several years of wedded bliss, walk the hallways of the huge house at odd hours?
Strange questions, certainly, but, to Kevin, their answers are obvious.
He is lyrical, intelligent, looks inward, forward, outward, backward, sees nightmares everywhere, makes these nightmares work, finds much in them about which he can congratulate himself — for instance, deaths that are slow and meaningful and, as he interprets them, deaths that bring welcome release. Not only to him. But to the others, as well.
And what about the others? What about their poor, short lives? What remains after they’ve passed? What about their stuff, their plans, the grudges they hold?
And who in the name of heaven, or hell, are ghastly William and fat Leonard? And why does the apparently absent and obviously naked Janet, with whom Kevin spent several years of wedded bliss, walk the hallways of the huge house at odd hours?
- GenresHorror
126 pages, Hardcover
First published August 30, 2005
About the author
T.M. Wright
62 books68 followersTerrance Michael Wright (AKA T. M. Wright) is best known as a writer of horror fiction, speculative fiction, and poetry. He has written over 25 novels, novellas, and short stories over the last 40 years. His first novel, 1978's Strange Seed, was nominated for a World Fantasy Award, and his 2003 novel Cold House was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award. His novels have been translated into many different languages around the world. His works have been reviewed by Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, and many genre magazines.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 29, 2017
Who knows what lurks in the minds of men, deranged and otherwise? I keep my dark thoughts buried deep, rarely bringing them out to play, content with letting them skulk in corners and closets, locked away in my memory palace, and other places. Others are not so content to leave such things buried; they prefer to live in those thoughts, to make them their windows upon the world. To exult in those thoughts - but in a cunning kind of way, savoring a taste here and there, fooling one part of who they are into thinking that those other parts are barely there. Kevin is one such Other.
T.M. Wright is a nimble writer, and an idiosyncratic one as well. The Eyes of the Carp is one of his last works and it showcases both his agility and his weirdness. Perhaps at this late stage in his career he just didn't give a fuck. And so he went for it: his narrative completely ignores traditional storytelling structures. The reader fully lives in Kevin's head - but it's not some rote, heavy-breathing "mind of a serial killer". Kevin's stream of conscious is an unfamiliar one for this genre, and exciting to behold. It's quirky and fun and endearing because Kevin is quite the thoughtful oddball; it's devious and sinister and appalling because Kevin is also completely, murderously unhinged. He's fooling himself, of course, but he often fools the reader as well. People who are experts at compartmentalizing their emotions and thoughts and private goals are often very good at fooling people. But imagine what we'd see if their inside were on their outside!
But I don't want to compartmentalize this brilliant novella as the story of some serial killer - no matter how devious, deluded, and fascinating that killer may be. It is much more: a ghost story full of creeping dread, featuring a house with secret windows hidden between two walls; a philosophical treatise on the nature of communication and connection and identity; a modernist take on the unreliable narrator and stories that travel through time and memories; a Final Journal for a brilliant writer, musing on the worlds we build to live in, contemplating all of the houses - both external and internal - that comfort and entrap us.
It is also funny as hell! I laughed out loud a lot, often while being wowed by the expert prose, impressed by the bizarre yet true insights, and disturbed by all of the creepiness. This was a thrill to read on many levels.
T.M. Wright is a nimble writer, and an idiosyncratic one as well. The Eyes of the Carp is one of his last works and it showcases both his agility and his weirdness. Perhaps at this late stage in his career he just didn't give a fuck. And so he went for it: his narrative completely ignores traditional storytelling structures. The reader fully lives in Kevin's head - but it's not some rote, heavy-breathing "mind of a serial killer". Kevin's stream of conscious is an unfamiliar one for this genre, and exciting to behold. It's quirky and fun and endearing because Kevin is quite the thoughtful oddball; it's devious and sinister and appalling because Kevin is also completely, murderously unhinged. He's fooling himself, of course, but he often fools the reader as well. People who are experts at compartmentalizing their emotions and thoughts and private goals are often very good at fooling people. But imagine what we'd see if their inside were on their outside!
But I don't want to compartmentalize this brilliant novella as the story of some serial killer - no matter how devious, deluded, and fascinating that killer may be. It is much more: a ghost story full of creeping dread, featuring a house with secret windows hidden between two walls; a philosophical treatise on the nature of communication and connection and identity; a modernist take on the unreliable narrator and stories that travel through time and memories; a Final Journal for a brilliant writer, musing on the worlds we build to live in, contemplating all of the houses - both external and internal - that comfort and entrap us.
It is also funny as hell! I laughed out loud a lot, often while being wowed by the expert prose, impressed by the bizarre yet true insights, and disturbed by all of the creepiness. This was a thrill to read on many levels.
December 6, 2017
Allllllllllllllll WRIGHT! ........... is what you shriek when it turns out that the least disturbing delusion on the part of a main character is that he believes his sperm can fly.
June 28, 2011
I've been looking forward to the release of this book for over a year. As always, T.M. Wright is at the top of his game. This book puts you in a trance with it's smooth prose and mysterious imagery. T.M. Wright makes the reader work. And the more you work, the more you uncover. I loved everything about it. In a market where horror writers try to top each other with violence and gore, T.M. uses his incredible skills as a wordsmith and storyteller to stand out. In time, at least within the intelligent horror community, T.M. Wright will always be known as one of horror's pioneers and the most original and effective ghost story writer in history.
Want to Read
August 28, 2011Stephen King recommended author: "T.M. Wright is a rare and blazing talent!"
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews