01.Aug.2007 The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

This is a story about Henry and Clare, who met when Clare was 6 and Henry was 36, and were married when Clare was 22 and Henry 30. Henry periodically finds himself pulled suddenly into his past or future. They can neither prevent or control the force.

I struggled to go through the first chapter or so, because it’s a bit confusing at first. The book is written as if it’s a big clipping of many events, with exact dates, whose point of view (Henry/Clare), and how old they are at that time. The book follows Clare’s timeline (thus the title).

I put this book down for about 2 months, because I caught up in other reading. After I started again, and up about a quarter, I couldn’t stop reading. It’s captivating, enthrilling, and totally unpredictable. I couldn’t guess what’s going to happen next.

In a few sentences, you may think the spirit of the story is somewhat closer to science fiction, but it’s really not. The time traveling is “just” the vessel. The topics covered are much wider, at times I felt things were a bit rushed. The author has so much to tell and yet so few pages.

At some parts, you want to be them. To be engaged in such romantic and unique accidents of nature. At other parts, you may cry. Because when reality eats you coldly, unavoidably, it’s so excruciating that you wish things were not true. It’s story about love and loss, hopes and hopelessness, miracle and reality, longing, uncontrollable divine forces, also real life problems of marriage, abandonment, parenthood, secrets, and cruelty of the world.

One of the finest book I have ever read. Very carefully constructed page by page. And I can say you may never find any book like this again. Truly rare. One of a kind.

~ Finished it (roughly) on 8 September 2005

Quotes

“I hate to be where she is not, when she is not. And yet, I am always going, and she cannot follow.” ~ Henry

Award
Longlisted for 2004 Orange Prize for Fiction