The Time Traveler's Wife

Being close to someone doesn't necessarily mean you share the same opinions on movie, tv, books...while my sister and I both have a fondness for all movies with Parker Posey , she did not share my love of Little Miss Sunshine. My friend Nadine fell asleep while watching The Science of Sleep-- a movie I loved so much I wanted to become the characters! Jane is a prolific reader and has recommended many a book to me, including Philip Roth's American Pastoral. I hated it. Included in the stash she gave me was a copy of The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. A recent email to her mentioned it was on my list of books to read soon, and she told me it was so terrible that she couldn't even finish it. I wondered if the Today Show bookclub sticker on it offended her hipster sensibilities. But then my friend Ahmed picked the book out of my entire list and suggested I read it next, it was so good! I decided to give it a go and while on the beach this weekend with Mihee, she commented that she had read the book and felt it was just average-- she didn't feel it was particularly bad, nor amazing.

I finished it up yesterday while doing laundry, and to put it simply, was mesmerized! The theme of time travel was quirky-- Henry is able to go forward and backward in time, although not at will. He visited his love, Clare, from the time she was six until she turned 82. She knew him her whole life.

Ms. Niffenegger does a nice job of giving each character their own voice and personality. Seems like it would be easy enough, but many writers do not do this-- one character's words could easily be transposed with another. But Henry's childhood neighbor is calm, yet direct and refers to Henry as "buddy" as he does to her. Clare's assuredness and self-possession does not transfer to her friend Charisse, a cool and outwardly confident woman, who has a secret knowledge of her husband's (Gomez) love of Clare.

Despite the potential for time travel exploitation, Henry and Clare try to keep "normal". A handful of people know Henry's secret and will on occasion ask him about their futures...but he rarely divulges. He's not perfect, though, and does give stock tips, "picks" winning lottery numbers.

The most remarkable aspect of this story is not the time travel itself, but is how Henry and Clare remain in love through troubles that would tear apart even the most resilient of couples-- his absences are long and unexplained, personal tragedies, such as alcoholism and mental disease, run through each of their families. The burden of knowing the future would be too hard for almost anyone to bear, but Clare pulls it off with grace.

I'm giving this book 4 netflix stars and would recommend it to anyone, but only a time traveler would know if you would love or hate it.