Time Traveler's Wife is a love story that started when Clare Abshire, a student of School of the Art Institute, met in the present for the first time, her future husband, Henry DeTamble, a librarian in Newberry Library. She was 20 and Henry was 28. It was not her fist time to meet Henry but it was his.
Henry was suffering from Chrono-Displacement Disorder, a genetic decease that allowed him to time travel involuntarily - at any time, be it in the past or future and in any place. He usually time traveled when he was stressed out or had a bad headache that he can incur by watching the television. Though he had this incurable disease, he still chose to live a normal life - live independently, have a job, meet friends, and build a family.
Clare was a normal auburn haired girl from South Haven Michigan who met her future husband in their Meadowlark House. When she first met Henry, she did not have any idea who he was but he knew that she will be his wife in the future. She was six then and he was 36, he came from the future.
The story was written from the main characters’ point of view - from Clare and Henry's point of view. It was not written chronologically and the reader must take note of the date, time and age of the characters. Nonetheless, readers won't have any difficulty in following the story or have a problem of being at lost in the story because the writer crafted the plot chronologically - maybe not the chronological way that we know of but in a chronological sense that was needed in the book. It was written in an arrangement that permits an orderly way of introducing and heightening the plot and emotions displayed in the story.
Though some parts of the book are unnecessary and could be deleted, most of the time, a reader could not afford to be disturbed when reading the book. It is so addictive that one will get hooked and can't put the book down until he finishes it ‘till the last page.
Time Traveler's Wife depicts the love of Clare and Henry for each other; a love that can transcend place, time and space. It is a love that defies the law of nature - a love that knows no boundaries, no concept of time and space. Also, it just shows and reiterates that one could not carry material things from the past to the future or vice versa. The only thing that one could carry is what is in one’s heart and mind.
Moreover, the book touches the topic of destiny. The love of Clare and Henry represents a love that was destined. Everything in our life is written. No matter what we do, we will live a life that is already written for us. All our actions will create a ripple that will surely affect our future.
It shows the difficulties of having a rare disease, the struggles in order to survive and trying to be normal in a society that has a very rigid standards of being normal. It clearly depicts the human nature of coping with the environment that one is faced with and aiming for self preservation. Our human instincts will be our own savior when we are faced with difficulties that we've not experienced or learned in our society, hence, proves that we alone can save ourselves from the harshness of life. People, more often than not, have the will power to survive and this will be strengthen if people have compelling reasons to live, like love and family. These are very evident in how Henry lived his life.
Time Traveler's Wife is a story that emphasizes the importance of maintaining the balance of life. We should not meddle with it and keep the future secret though it is so tempting to divulge it, so that we could give other people the choice on matters that they are faced with and how to live their lives. It would be a nice addition to the story if the author wrote a scenario where the character fiddled the future by making a different decision in the present or influencing other people on their decisions.
Time Traveler’s wife is an interesting story that is packed with emotion and will very much leave a reader’s eyes teary. It is suited for those who believe that love can conquers all, that there is someone out there destined for us in the future, that keeping faith and trusting someone's words will be all worthy and that there is a book of faith that writes one’s story as he journey’s life. It will make readers realize that true love exists. This book will certainly leave a mark in a reader's heart.