Book Reco # 13: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
A unique love story that spans decades.
Hi there!
A couple of months ago, a friend gave me her copy of The Time Traveler's Wife because she was decluttering. Of course, I accepted it and asked for more. Sadly, she only owned two books and gave the other to our other friend. And this is the story of how I came to read The Time Traveler's Wife, one of the books I thought I had read already but actually haven't. You feel me?
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐3/5 stars
Henry met Clare when she was just six and he was thirty-six. They were married when Clare was twenty-two and Henry was thirty. How did this come to be, you ask? Henry suffers from a strange genetic disorder that causes him to unpredictably time-travel. Thus, their perplexing situation. The book chronicles Henry and Clare's struggle to lead normal lives despite their situation.
Although the book is written from both Henry's and Clare's perspectives, it's really about Clare and how she patiently waits for Henry to return to her every time he time-travels. That's why the book is entitled "The Time Traveler's Wife" and not "The Time Traveler." The book's first paragraph perfectly eludes to that. Henry and Clare take "destined to be together" to a new level because even time and difficult circumstances can't bring them apart. If you like unique story settings and love stories that span decades, this book is for you.
Intricately planned and cleverly written, this book is amazing for an author's first novel. There are some aspects of time traveling here that I have never thought of, like how time traveling can be dangerous. Imagine reappearing right in front of a moving truck on a highway. When time traveling, Henry cannot take anything with him, so he always ends up naked and cold and resorts to several unethical survival skills to cope. This plot plays an important role in the story’s ending. It was one long hopeless sob for me when I finished reading.
What I didn't like though was how long this book is. I'm not too fond of any book that is above 350 pages. I am also seemingly detached with the old and future Henry's personality to the present Henry. They are two different personalities, and I just can't accept that they are the same person even if somebody says, "because Henry got older, wiser, and matured." Present Henry is an asshole, selfish, and irresponsible being. Old and future Henry is gentle, wise, and understanding. In this book, I also noticed that everyone seems rich or famous in their fields. It's as if to compensate for all the time-traveling consequences they have to suffer. There's some stereotyping for BIPOCs too. This book is a perfect romance, but the above points explain why I can't give it five stars. Still, a three-point star is a bit high for me.
Happy mid-week everyone and thank you for the inbox space!
This week, I'm reading..
Yesterday, I saw my 23 for 2023 book list and realized I have only crossed one item on the list, and it's already June. I'm such a distracted reader. Because of that, I picked up The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.
I loved Remains of the Day (but read it before I started writing about my reads ha ha). I look forward to your thoughts!