A life seen from its end to its beginning, consequently, everything happening in a
reversed order. Todd
Friendly, the character of the novel, has a horrifying past- he''s been a doctor at Auschwitz, he''s performed experiences on people.
The order of events is
reversed in the story, which means that Todd''s life is shown from its end to its beginning. Instead of growing old, Todd, who''s name is not just along the development of the novel, but also John Young and Odilo Unverdorben, names that mark stages of his life, is growing younger.
All actions are shown as taking place in a reversed order: from eating to speaking and acting with people. If you don''t pay attention, you are confused. Because Todd Friendly, instead of giving a toy to a child, he seems to take it away from him making the child cry, sentences and words are spoken
backwards, dialogues start with what they should end. Time''s arrow is an accusation of nazis crimes and the so called order they tried to impose, an interesting, innovative, surprising but also troubling book.