The Time Traveler's Wife--Audrey Niffenegger
reviewed by jenn walker 4.23.04
This
is another book that first crossed my path at work. One of our patrons wanted
it (for research, undoubtedly) and when it came in, I flipped through a few
pages, and became very loath to lend it out. Sometimes you just get a vibe about
a book.
The Time Traveler's Wife didn't change my world view...it didn't alter the course of my life...I didn't even devour it the way one sometimes does when they are enjoying a book. Instead this book was a constant, loyal, enjoyable companion in the mononucleosis weeks. It's got short chapters, and so can be easily read between naps. And always, it pulled me back in. It's also the first time I've suffered book lag in a few years, that feeling, upon completion of a book, that nothing will ever be worth reading again, now that you've completed what you're reading.
What can I tell you about the plot, the characters, the craft of writing demonstrated here? Well, it's a pretty straightforward love story, with only one twist. Henry De Tamble has a disease/talent/gift of chrono-displacement, and he occasionally jumps around in time, through and to places that have meant something to him at various times in his life. When he is 28 years old, he meets Clare Abshire, who has known him since she was six years old.
Whatever else this book is, it's undeniably a triumph of organization. I imagine Niffenberger must have had a huge number of post-it notes or index cards that she must have spread over some incredibly large surface. I can almost hear her asking "Okay, now where has Henry been already? How much does he already know? When did Clare say that?" For all the comings and goings, and the fact that at times you often had two of the same character on the page in front of you, it was seamless, as a reader I never felt disoriented. Which amazed me, when I finished the book.
Niffenberger plays every time travel trick youve ever wondered about. Though Henry has a reasonable set of morals, there's no sense of the Prime Directive about him. He'll pick a lock when he needs to, or look up a relevant date when he's in the future, and yes, even the lottery numbers on one occasion. Though the time travel is central to the book, it isn't gimmicky. Mostly, its just another piece of this relationship that Henry and Clare have, just something they have to work around. It's a book about time travel, but it's also about growing up, and family weirdness, and art and life, and loving one person your whole life, whether it runs in a straight line or not so much.
Read this book, next time
youre on a plane, or at the beach. I'd be willing to bet you'll like it.