Audrey Niffenegger

The Time Traveler’s Wife

“Chaos is more freedom; in fact, total freedom. But no meaning. I want to be free to act, and I also want my actions to mean something.”
--
You have to give it to Niffenegger. She has come up with a very interesting concept for a cliche "true-love" story, that manages to be funny and romantic without being too nauseating. (Why yes, I am a true romantic at heart, can't you tell?) The time loops which could be very confusing, are actually very well done. It was very entertaining to follow Henry on his chrono-displacements and make certain links throughout his story. And the ending? Even I am not so heartless as to not be moved by it! It was sad. It was sweet. And mostly, it was fun.

I highly recommend the Highbridge audiobook version, which is really well narrated. I feel like this was a huge factor in raising my rating.

That is not to say I don't have any issues with this book (because of course I would):

1. I highly doubt this book can pass the Bechdel test. In fact, it might have never heard of it.
2. The black servant trope. Can this PLEASE be over? It is not the 1950s USA any more. Let it die, I beg you. While we are at it, the Asian character who cannot speak English trope. So unnecessary.
3. I understand that this is first and foremost a romance story. The couple is deeply in love. I, as the reader, understand this perfectly. But MUST I read about their sex life every 5 pages? After a certain point, it just feels repetitive, and just written for the sake of erotic content. This story has the potential to be so much more.
4. If you removed all the repetitive scenes, and the things that add nothing to story, you could probably chop out 200 pages of the book. Or you could spend 200 more pages on the actually interesting aspects of Henry's capabilities rather than glossing over them in passing between 2 sentences.

So, there you have it. 3 stars for the book, 4 stars for the audio.
Now I don't have to watch the movie.

The Time Traveler’s Wife

Reviews