The Time Traveler's Wife
The Time Traveler's Wife
By Audrey Niffenegger
My Rating: 4
Genre: Science Fiction, Contemporary
Finished On: Jan 15th, 2020
When I picked up this book, I imagined this book to be almost like a science fiction one. Protagonist, the time traveler, must be some scientist who discovered time travelling, and maybe this book is either about the adventures he has taken and shares with his wife, or the adventures both have taken together.
However, I did not anticipate what it will reallyy be about.
Jeez. Genetic disease? 🤕
I must say the author's thinking of considering time travelling as some sort of genetic disease is pure gold. It's completely different than the cliche time travelling via machines ones.
In those, you have complete control over the time and place you want to go. But in this case, you just go where your life, or perhaps, where you genetic body takes you. You have absolutely no control over it. And that is some challenge which Henry had to face his entire life.
And this very challenge killed him. The disease, ended his life.
However, I did not anticipate what it will reallyy be about.
Jeez. Genetic disease? 🤕
I must say the author's thinking of considering time travelling as some sort of genetic disease is pure gold. It's completely different than the cliche time travelling via machines ones.
In those, you have complete control over the time and place you want to go. But in this case, you just go where your life, or perhaps, where you genetic body takes you. You have absolutely no control over it. And that is some challenge which Henry had to face his entire life.
And this very challenge killed him. The disease, ended his life.
Yep, sorry for this spoiler right in the beginning.
I found it very interesting that Henry and Clare's entire life is a circle. Younger Clare finds Henry, befriends him, he hands her a diary of dates when Henry will visit, the diary which Clare herself has written and gives it to present Henry years later so he gives it to younger Clare when he time travels, whew! And Clare herself shows the exact spot to the present Henry, so that when he time travels, he should visit that exact spot.
Even their love for each other... Alright, okay, I agree that since little Clare has known Henry for a long time, she had to have a crush on him, but that turned to love when it was confirmed Henry has married her in the future. (Right?)
And when present Henry meets present Clare, and comes to know she is his future wife, lo and behold, he falls for her too. Right there.
It's a circle, isn't it? So where did it all start? Nobody knows. All this is still happening somewhere, has already happened somewhere, and is yet to happen in some places.
That's time travelling for you.
Or simply put, just time.
So they meet. Get married. After 7 miscarriages (their patience here is commendable), they have a baby, Alba.
She suffered those miscarriages because all their babies were time travelling, and couldn't survive being a delicate fetus like that. However, although Alba has the ability to time travel as well, I wonder how Clare could carry her to full term?
Never mind, simply reading through their entire painful journey till that point was very moving to me.
I am disappointed with one thing. In Clare's present when Henry is visiting the past and is meeting the younger Clare, I kind of expected Henry to discuss his visit with present Clare and have her reminisce about it. Although that might have happened in his fictional life, I wanted it to be put down in the book as well.
I cannot end this review without mentioning this, I did not expect Henry to die.
I did not.
And the chapter where future Alba tells present Henry about his death, shattered me. Somewhere deep down I hoped that it be false. Maybe he time traveled somewhere and then.. Got stuck in that time? Maybe he never returned so they assumed he's dead? Maybe they are really mistaken about this?
I really hoped this.
But in the chapter when 43 yo Henry observes the movement of grass, hears shout, hears the scream, recognizes the voice. I was shivering at that point.
And in that chapter when Henry loses his feet from frostbite, and when the crawling part in the grasses finally made sense, I wanted to throw this book away.
But I didn't. My calculative mind kept the book aside for a while and thought, how could this have been avoided? How could the things have been changed so Henry doesn't die?
Henry got shot as Philip and Mark could not see whom they are shooting. They assumed it is a deer.
Had Henry not time traveled to that place in January, stark naked and cold, maybe this wouldn't have happened.
Or even if he did, and got some warm clothes around, this wouldn't have happened.
Or even better, if Mark and Philip weren't outside the house hunting that time, maybe this would not have happened.
In the new year's party, did they both realize that it was them who got Henry killed, some 20 years ago?
At last. He was right. This Time Travelling got him killed.
I am disappointed with another fact that the author does not mention how Alba dealt with this. First of all, she's a woman. Time Travelling as a girl or as a woman, I can't imagine how difficult it would be for her to end up at a random place without any clothes on. I'm at least glad to know she has control over the time and place to visit at times . But what about the others? Has Kendrick found any solution for her? In the end when Clare is 82, Alba must be roughly 52. She has crossed the age which even Henry couldn't surpass.
How was her life? How did she live??
I wanted to know. I WANT to know.
And Clare. Oh Clare.
This book is about Clare. She's The Time Traveler's Wife after all. She waited all those years, all those years, just so she could meet Henry, see him for one last time.
Her entire life was about waiting. Waiting for Henry to visit in her past. Waiting for Henry to return in her present. And waiting for Henry to show up in her future.
Reminded me of Rose in Titanic.
Anyway, I wonder at this point, where Henry might be right now, in the past, in the present, and in the future.
Aren't you wondering?
I found it very interesting that Henry and Clare's entire life is a circle. Younger Clare finds Henry, befriends him, he hands her a diary of dates when Henry will visit, the diary which Clare herself has written and gives it to present Henry years later so he gives it to younger Clare when he time travels, whew! And Clare herself shows the exact spot to the present Henry, so that when he time travels, he should visit that exact spot.
Even their love for each other... Alright, okay, I agree that since little Clare has known Henry for a long time, she had to have a crush on him, but that turned to love when it was confirmed Henry has married her in the future. (Right?)
And when present Henry meets present Clare, and comes to know she is his future wife, lo and behold, he falls for her too. Right there.
It's a circle, isn't it? So where did it all start? Nobody knows. All this is still happening somewhere, has already happened somewhere, and is yet to happen in some places.
That's time travelling for you.
Or simply put, just time.
So they meet. Get married. After 7 miscarriages (their patience here is commendable), they have a baby, Alba.
She suffered those miscarriages because all their babies were time travelling, and couldn't survive being a delicate fetus like that. However, although Alba has the ability to time travel as well, I wonder how Clare could carry her to full term?
Never mind, simply reading through their entire painful journey till that point was very moving to me.
I am disappointed with one thing. In Clare's present when Henry is visiting the past and is meeting the younger Clare, I kind of expected Henry to discuss his visit with present Clare and have her reminisce about it. Although that might have happened in his fictional life, I wanted it to be put down in the book as well.
I cannot end this review without mentioning this, I did not expect Henry to die.
I did not.
And the chapter where future Alba tells present Henry about his death, shattered me. Somewhere deep down I hoped that it be false. Maybe he time traveled somewhere and then.. Got stuck in that time? Maybe he never returned so they assumed he's dead? Maybe they are really mistaken about this?
I really hoped this.
But in the chapter when 43 yo Henry observes the movement of grass, hears shout, hears the scream, recognizes the voice. I was shivering at that point.
And in that chapter when Henry loses his feet from frostbite, and when the crawling part in the grasses finally made sense, I wanted to throw this book away.
But I didn't. My calculative mind kept the book aside for a while and thought, how could this have been avoided? How could the things have been changed so Henry doesn't die?
Henry got shot as Philip and Mark could not see whom they are shooting. They assumed it is a deer.
Had Henry not time traveled to that place in January, stark naked and cold, maybe this wouldn't have happened.
Or even if he did, and got some warm clothes around, this wouldn't have happened.
Or even better, if Mark and Philip weren't outside the house hunting that time, maybe this would not have happened.
In the new year's party, did they both realize that it was them who got Henry killed, some 20 years ago?
At last. He was right. This Time Travelling got him killed.
I am disappointed with another fact that the author does not mention how Alba dealt with this. First of all, she's a woman. Time Travelling as a girl or as a woman, I can't imagine how difficult it would be for her to end up at a random place without any clothes on. I'm at least glad to know she has control over the time and place to visit at times . But what about the others? Has Kendrick found any solution for her? In the end when Clare is 82, Alba must be roughly 52. She has crossed the age which even Henry couldn't surpass.
How was her life? How did she live??
I wanted to know. I WANT to know.
And Clare. Oh Clare.
This book is about Clare. She's The Time Traveler's Wife after all. She waited all those years, all those years, just so she could meet Henry, see him for one last time.
Her entire life was about waiting. Waiting for Henry to visit in her past. Waiting for Henry to return in her present. And waiting for Henry to show up in her future.
Reminded me of Rose in Titanic.
Anyway, I wonder at this point, where Henry might be right now, in the past, in the present, and in the future.
Aren't you wondering?
Words: 1088
Chars: 5507
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