Heather and the Jabberwocky

An Amorous Journey into the Mythical Antiquity of Now

Fiction - Literary
284 Pages
Reviewed on 08/29/2019
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Author Biography

Peter Kelton has always written fiction when he’s between news jobs and has written for some of the world’s largest news organizations. Most of his work has been in New York. He has critiqued more than 450 novels in a national column and has written seven novels of his own in a unique erudite literary style of adventure, mystery, suspense and satire. He grew up in Texas, served overseas in the US Army and returned to Europe as a foreign correspondent. He currently divides his time between his homes in East St. Louis, IL and Querétaro, Mexico. He has ghost written for more than 100 clients and is a top-rated writer for the Upwork Global Inc. free-lance agency.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

Heather and the Jabberwocky: An Amorous Journey into the Mythical Antiquity of Now by Peter Kelton is the story of a married couple just trying to enjoy a good holiday, but MI6 and the Italian Mafia have other plans. Heather never had a good life until she met Paul. She might have killed a man or chased a mailman with an ax, but she had her reasons. Tried and pardoned for the murder, she was put under psychiatric care, but she and her husband found that she was most stable when she was near water. They were enjoying their holiday at the Straits of Messina when she was kidnapped while swimming in the ocean and her husband was left baffled by what was happening. She had been kidnapped in a crazy scheme to trade her for a Mexican criminal being held in Brazil before being sent to the USA. Now Paul has to come up with an obscene amount of money to get Heather out of the clutches of her kidnappers, while Heather is trying to make sense of what is happening.

Best described as eclectic and fantastic, this is the perfect example of modern absurd literature where the reader has a grand time trying to solve the mystery and come up with their own conclusions. Even after spending a good amount of time thinking about it, I have not decided if Heather is delusional or if she is a genius. She and Paul are as bizarre and extraordinary as anyone could be; their adventures were filled with witty humor, impressively crafted scenarios and amazing ways through which this couple handled the situations. At first, I was confused but as the story continued, I knew that this was going to be a gem of a novel that I would love. The author is very good at building up a situation, taking it to epic heights and taking the reader there with it so that they experience the best literary adventure. Imperfectly perfect and simply a magical novel that I loved!

Christian Sia

Heather and the Jabberwocky: An Amorous Journey into the Mythical Antiquity of Now by Peter Kelton is an engaging literary novel with characters that are richly developed and a plot that offers exciting moments for readers, the kind of read for those who are into tightly written and delightful prose and strong imagery. Heather and her husband are academics, married when she was very young — and she has had her own share of troubles — but their quiet lives are about to be thrown into chaos by a stalker with a vendetta going after Heather. Her artist husband is faced with the arduous task of protecting her from a Mexican drug cartel. The story takes readers through wonderful settings, from Hong Kong to France to Georgia, then the Caribbean, offering intriguing moments and exploring the minds of the characters. The connection between the wakefulness of Heather’s mind and the artistic work of her husband create a link that enhances their romance.

This is a wonderful novel with great characters and I enjoyed how the author explores the different layers of the personalities of the characters. Heather is my favorite, from her experience in an institution being treated by an aged doctor who thinks his treatment of Heather is more beneficial to him than to her, to her repeated nightmare involving the Caribbean Sea monster called Lusca. The story is filled with magical realism, written in a style that is both lyrical and highly descriptive and spiced with the ingenious humor that can only be spun by a gifted writer. Heather and the Jabberwocky: An Amorous Journey into the Mythical Antiquity of Now is filled with adventure and Peter Kelton has the gift of keeping the story real and the characters very human.

Astrid Iustulin

Peter Kelton’s Heather and the Jabberwocky is one of the most unusual novels I have ever read. Its mixture of art, mythology, and philosophy makes it a remarkable piece of literature. “Jabberwocky” refers to a poem written by Lewis Carroll in 1871 and is included in Through the Looking-Glass, the sequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. After reading the poem, Alice realizes that “it seems to fill my head with ideas – only I don’t exactly know what they are!” The protagonist of the present novel, Heather, has the same problem. At first, her ideas are meaningful only when her husband gives them an artistic form. Her story includes a long and incredible series of adventures, including kidnapping, lucid dreams, a Caribbean monster, an Aztec pyramid, and the threat of the Mexican cartel.

Heather and the Jabberwocky is an entertaining and elaborate novel. This is not a dull book, and nothing in it is predictable. The picture is not clear until the final stages. Considering the many adventures and complexity of Heather and the Jabberwocky, Kelton reveals superior writing skills when he closes the circle. The many dissertations about life and its meaning embellish the novel with intelligent considerations and show the author’s extensive knowledge. The characters are odd at times, but each of them is finely portrayed and has unmistakable features. Their relationships are complicated and add interest to the story. The reader has to get used to the eccentricity of Heather and the Jabberwocky. However, when he or she understands its “reality,” amazement and delight will guide their reading.