Audrey Niffenegger - The Time Traveller's Wife

(2003)

Genre: Science Fiction, Romance.
Synopsis: Clare met Henry when she was 6 and Henry was 36. They were married when Clare was 22 and Henry was 30. In essence, the pair met before they met – seemingly impossible, but made reality because Henry is unique. He suffers from Chrono-impairment, a genetic anomaly which makes staying in the present incredibly difficult and Henry finds himself randomly dragged into the past or future where he discovers that you can’t change the future because, like the past, it has already happened. What unfolds is a love story that transcends time and leaves Clare playing a waiting game which starts when she is only a little girl and lasts throughout her adult life.



***

Review: I was really excited about getting into this story because of the science fiction and philosophy inherently implied. I was indifferent to the love story before I ever opened the book, which is good, as I haven’t heard much praise from those looking forward to it. It is very tricky territory for a book – dependant upon the interrelation of two very different genres for it’s success. Somehow, however, it really works, and The Time Traveller’s wife gets full marks for originality – somehow making new the old science fiction concept of time travel, imbued with a classic ‘separated lovers’ love story. The first one third to one half of the book is genius – the writing style, the careful layout and structuring, the events, and the discussions between an adult Henry and teenage Clare in a timeless meadow about the very fabric of existence. The philosophy of time and time travel is well researched and it’s implications roundly dealt with. For me this was the most enjoyable aspect of the book. It appeals to block universe and determinism. There are a couple of let downs regarding unlikely events and a very slightly dodgy account of how a lack of choice works into the story to accommodate a ‘block theory’ of time (meaning all times are equally real and as such the future is not undetermined, but fixed and unchangeable as the past.) Overall however, it deals well with the implications, like a lack of deeper free will, etc. It even appeals to hardcore science, which is a credit to Niffenegger’s approach to writing – she deals with difficulties head on and settles them. Setting this kind of material within a modern fictional love story is a literary accomplishment of sorts.

Unfortunately the book is let down in a couple of areas. The characters particularly are for the most part unappealing. Henry is endearing and likeable, which is just as well, since it’s essentially his story. Clare is a bit of a non-event, she seems very much secondary to Henry and present really to provide a first-person contrasting account of what it is like to be around Henry. Still, she’s not unlikeable, like many other characters. Each character, Henry’s dad, the landlord Kimmy, Henry’s ex-girlfriend Ingrid, college friend Gomez etc. each have a small part to play, mostly each portraying an outlook on life. Henry’s dad stops living when his wife dies, Ingrid is somewhat unstable and Gomez not-so-secretly loves Clare. While each of these things ultimately climaxes in what is usually a touching scene between Henry and said characters, beyond that they have little relevance and also inspire indifference. One of Ingrid’s final scenes is perhaps the most moving in the book, but my personal favourite was the exchanges between Gomez and Clare/Henry/Charisse. For all the singularity in the other characters, I really felt Gomez featured a dimension in his character, allowing him to both acknowledge that he cannot but selfishly love Clare, while also acknowledging a respect for Henry he would betray given Clare’s interest. Essentially, he seemed to me to be the most human.

The final third of the book is a bit of a joke. The author includes one terrible event related to Henry that is completely unnecessary, as well as overdoing an event related to Clare which totally unrealistic in my opinion. The book begins to read like Niffenegger just wanted to draw the book across as many years as possible, but she could easily have cut about one third the content out and had a near perfect novel. Also, for a book that is so carefully structured and thought out, the ending leaves an awful lot to be desired. As a whole it is well worth at least one read, and probably two, just to experience the overall flavor of what is a truly accomplished debut novel. My personal recommendation would be to avoid this book if the love story is what appeals most to you, as you will probably close the covers feeling disappointed. If however the philosophy and the basic concept appeals to you – then you’re not going to find anything quite like this book. Philosophically it is a complete success, and then some.

Rating:  4/5