SubscribeI was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.
It is a bit strange, in every way I can think of. This is the story of Henry DeTamble who, through some fluke in genetics, is a time traveler, and his wife, Clare, who he often meets when he time travels. Henry has no control over when he time travels, or when/where he goes, and can’t bring anything with him other then himself. This includes clothing and food, which makes Henry’s life a difficult and dangerous one sometimes.
Clare first meets Henry when she is a little girl. Henry is in his late thirties at the time. Henry first meets Clare in his late twenties, when Clare is in her early twenties, and he does not remember meeting her, because, from Henry’s point of view, it has not happened yet. Confused? The book makes sense of it all.
In spite of the twisting and turning time line, and the abrupt jumping from one year to another year (and not in chronological order, either!), this story is incredibly readable. It is the perfect marriage of “Romance Novel” and “Science Fiction Story”.
Niffenegger breaks up each part of the story in a few ways. Each part is labeled with either “Clare” or “Henry” and the year it takes place, as well as the age of each of them. This makes it instantly clear to the reader whose point of view that part of the story is from. Also, in the parts where Henry is there, and is also there, again, because he time traveled to that particular point in time, and is visiting himself, (which makes him two different ages at the same time), it makes it easier to comprehend. Niffenegger does a wonderful job of making each character very real. I was impressed by how Henry’s thoughts are very much “guy thoughts”, and how at the same time, Clare’s thoughts are “girl thoughts”, especially when the two are thinking about the same event. Niffenegger does this without making either character a walking stereotype.
I also liked very much that the setting for most of the story is in Chicago, in places I have not only been to, but have spent a lot of time in. The Chicago Art Institute, The Field Museum, the bike path by the Lake, and much more. Even the way Chicago looks around Christmastime is described perfectly, from the snow, to the store windows full of animated scenes, to the giant wreaths around the lions in front of the Art Institute. There are many parts of this book that take place at or around either Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, so I would recommend reading it around that part of the year, for maximum enjoyment.
Leave a comment
Leave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>