Audrey Niffenegger's debut novel is a riveting story of love, uncertainty - and
time travel written in down-to-earth language which
ultimately makes the incredible tale realistic and heartwrenching.
Clare, an intelligent and beautiful young girl falls in
love with a man that could be the age of her farther, and then marries him when she is in her early twenties and he in his late twenties. As unbelievable as it may seem the author succeeds in convincingly portraying how these characters meet and ultimately fall in love when the time is right. Or so it may seem during the first half of the novel.
Time is a fickle thing, especially in Henry's case who travels to his past and future at the most inconvenient times, due to a strange genetic disorder, leaving Claire to wait for him and worry untill his unpredictable return to the present. Henry is thrown into a part of time where he is both broke, lost and on top of that naked. He has taught himself skills such as picking pocets and locks in order to cope in any situation he literally lands in. He is also forced to endure some tragic events over and over again, not being able to alter them. He is capable of influencing the future to some extent but never able to change the past. Clare is aware that she may lose Hnery for hours or even days and fears losing him forever every time he is displaced in time.
The novel is filled with an unmatched love between two very different characters; one who is always on the move - forced to fend for himself in an unknown time and in stark nudity, with the other never
certain if her love will renturn to her alive.
The introduction of characters such as Gomez and Dr. Kendrick bring interresting twists in the plot, working for and against them, but ultimately time is their greatest enemy. Gomez's hidden agenda aids in creating a story-line that does not reseble a fairytale but rather real situations and affirms how human the characters are.
The
theme of
sex plays as a strong sub-theme and is displayed for what it is; both making love and just plain sex. The characters are not portrayed as heroes nor victims, there are no super-powers or acts of heroism, but rather more than
human courage displayed in the lives of the main characters on a day to day basis. We see their demons as they face them, past or present, and I am certain that any reader will secrently wish for such a strong - though not perfect - love.
The perrils and joys as well as two extreme crisisses these characters endured quite literally brought tears to my eyes and the subtle humor only prevents the pages from being drenched. The themes are carried through beautfilly and the grows continuously although the story jumps through various spaces in time.
A magical piece of literature that stays in your thoughts long after the book has been put down.
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