I like Carroll. I think part of the reason for that is because Carroll's world is always emotionally valid. The characters have insane things happen to them, but it's always a reflection of their inner feelings -- the fantasy arises from the inner dialogue and struggle being externalized.

That is, when Isabelle has to travel back to see her lover, she has past selves and behaviors trying to derail her and throw obstacles in her path. In this world, there are literally copies of her trying to run her off the road and throwing giant rocks ahead of her on the freeway.

With this in mind, it makes sense if you realize that Carroll is talking about emotional truth. It's not supposed to make sense. It's the insanity of realizing that the world around you is as crazy as you are.

The irony is that I don't like Murakami, because on the spur of a moment a character can find himself brutalizing a stranger with a baseball bat, and feel fine about it afterwards. Carroll never does that -- even the death and the amnesia, although cliched, makes sense in context of the forbidden affair and breakup. That's because, under the hood, they are the same thing.