Name: Recursion
ISBN: 9781509866670

Blake Crouch

What if someone could rewrite your entire life?'My son has been erased.' Those are the last words the woman tells Barry Sutton, before she leaps from the Manhattan rooftop. Deeply unnerved, Barry begins to investigate her death, only to learn that this wasn't an isolated case. All across the country, people are waking up to lives different than the ones they fell asleep to. Are they suffering from False Memory Syndrome, a mysterious, new disease that afflicts people with vivid memories of a life they never lived? Or is something far more sinister behind the fracturing of reality all around him?Miles away, neuroscientist Helena Smith is developing a technology that allows us to preserve our most intense memories, and relive them. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent.Barry's search for the truth leads him on an impossible, astonishing journey, as he discovers that Helena's work has yielded a terrifying gift - the ability not just to preserve memories, but to remake them... at the risk of destroying what it means to be human.

Recursion

is this what you want? to do yourself into a still-life painting of a memory because life has broken your heart?

Gwenifer

His heart pounds in his ears. His mind races. It is the lonely hour of the night, one with which he is all too familiar-

when the city sleeps but you don't, and all the regrets of your life rage in your mind with an unbearable intensity. Thinking about his father who died when he was young, and the enduring question-

Aistė

Life is nothing how he expected it would be when he was young and living under the delusion that things could be controlled. Nothing can be controlled. Only endured.

... Being in her presence slashed through the dream-withdrawal; he didn't want her. It was a liberating revelation, even as it devastated him. Liberating because it meant he didn't love this Julia-he loved the person she used to be. Devastating because the woman who haunted his dreams was truly gone. As unreach-able as the dead.

The three most important people in her life are gone, and she will never see them again. The stark loneliness of that knowledge cuts her to the bone.

She is forty-nine, and she wonders if this is what feeling old really means-not just a physical deterioration, but an interpersonal. A growing silence caused by the people you most love, who have shaped you and defined your world, going on ahead into whatever comes after.

When a person dies, he only appears to die. He is still very much alive in the past... All moments, past, present and future, always have existed, always will exist. It is just an illusion we have here on Earth that one moment follows another one, like beads on a string, and that once a moment is gone it is gone forever.

A thousand small moments, but enough to have made life worth living.

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.

Zachary Roberts

Life with a cheat code isn't life Our existence isn't something to be engineered or optimized for the avoidance of pain. That’s what it is to be human - the beauty and the pain, each meaningless without the other. 

New York City cop Barry Sutton investigates the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome-- a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. Neuroscientist Helena Smith dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious moments of our pasts. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent. Together they face a force that attacks not just our minds but the very fabric of the past. Memory makes reality-- and the force is beginning to unmake the world as we know it. -- adapted from jacket.

A Novel

Probably for the best I don’t have a good memory 

and then… what happens to their damn bodies? 

Bo Heroman

back half just wouldn’t. end.

and then… what happens to their damn bodies? 

but I honestly enjoyed it

Not my cup of tea but I understand the hype.

Sasha

Ended up being a time bending love story. I’m not mad 

Valentina Williams

I put this book off for a long time because I was convinced that it would echo my own private sentiments about the nature of reality and perception and I'm glad to say I'm right! I wish I wasn't. It's so freaky to me that the same thought paradigms of reality that I came to sitting on the floor of my house back in November last year are being echoed here but there are no unique experiences. I feel as if he's mansplained this to me but I don't mind it one bit. [Goodreads TBR Roulette #195]

shaye

A complicated story.I feel like I’m lost in time and possibilities too.

Shidehdeishidi

Just like Dark Matter, I enjoyed this a lot. Anything to do with timey wimey things is going to grab my attention. I didn’t understand the science behind anything happening and still didn’t feel like I was confused. Crouch does an excellent job laying out the details as well as the stakes of the situation. The romance subplot was honestly really well done and slightly tragic. Maybe it’s okay to trust a male author with romance. I loved the two timelines aspect.

My only gripe is the pacing. There was a point where it felt like everything was wrapping up and coming to a natural conclusion, just to keep going. The ending was satisfying enough to me, but I feel like we could’ve pared down some of the other moments so that it didn’t happen after I felt like the book should be ending.

Overall, this author is quickly becoming a favorite.

Nik ✨

Just like Dark Matter, I enjoyed this a lot. Anything to do with timey wimey things is going to grab my attention. I didn’t understand the science behind anything happening and still didn’t feel like I was confused. Crouch does an excellent job laying out the details as well as the stakes of the situation. The romance subplot was honestly really well done and slightly tragic. Maybe it’s okay to trust a male author with romance. I loved the two timelines aspect.

My only gripe is the pacing. There was a point where it felt like everything was wrapping up and coming to a natural conclusion, just to keep going. The ending was satisfying enough to me, but I feel like we could’ve pared down some of the other moments so that it didn’t happen after I felt like the book should be ending.

Overall, this author is quickly becoming a favorite.

A breath-taking exploration of memory and what it means to be human, Recursion is the follow-up novel to the smash-hit thriller, Dark Matter, by Blake Crouch. What if someone could rewrite your entire life?'My son has been erased.' Those are the last words the woman tells Barry Sutton, before she leaps from the Manhattan rooftop. Deeply unnerved, Barry begins to investigate her death, only to learn that this wasn't an isolated case. All across the country, people are waking up to lives different than the ones they fell asleep to. Are they suffering from False Memory Syndrome, a mysterious, new disease that afflicts people with vivid memories of a life they never lived? Or is something far more sinister behind the fracturing of reality all around him?Miles away, neuroscientist Helena Smith is developing a technology that allows us to preserve our most intense memories, and relive them. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent.Barry's search for the truth leads him on an impossible, astonishing journey, as he discovers that Helena's work has yielded a terrifying gift - the ability not just to preserve memories, but to remake them . . . at the risk of destroying what it means to be human.

Really interesting concept - I was all in for the first half, but when it turned into more of a love story (which felt a bit forced tbh) I kinda tuned out. I also felt there was an easier means to the game end that were not just explored, but overall a decent sci-fi-esque novel.

Paige Paul

Bria

I'm in awe of how Crouch was able to fit so much in 384 pages. He made sure to leave nothing unanswered. This could easily be the best movie adaptation, and I hope it's being considered.

A. D. Knapp

Elisavet Rozaki 

(4.5)
I'm about to go through an existential crisis because of this book but it'll be worth it.

Avery

Several original ideas presented in a fun-to-read way. Never seen some of these concepts explored in the this direction.

Michael Knepprath

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the bestselling author of Dark Matter and the Wayward Pines trilogy comes a relentless thriller about time, identity, and memory—his most mind-boggling, irresistible work to date, and the inspiration for Shondaland’s upcoming Netflix film. “Gloriously twisting . . . a heady campfire tale of a novel.”—The New York Times Book Review NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Time • NPR • BookRiot Reality is broken. At first, it looks like a disease. An epidemic that spreads through no known means, driving its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. But the force that’s sweeping the world is no pathogen. It’s just the first shock wave, unleashed by a stunning discovery—and what’s in jeopardy is not our minds but the very fabric of time itself. In New York City, Detective Barry Sutton is closing in on the truth—and in a remote laboratory, neuroscientist Helena Smith is unaware that she alone holds the key to this mystery . . . and the tools for fighting back. Together, Barry and Helena will have to confront their enemy—before they, and the world, are trapped in a loop of ever-growing chaos. Praise for Recursion “An action-packed, brilliantly unique ride that had me up late and shirking responsibilities until I had devoured the last page . . . a fantastic read.”—Andy Weir, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Martian “Another profound science-fiction thriller. Crouch masterfully blends science and intrigue into the experience of what it means to be deeply human.”—Newsweek “Definitely not one to forget when you’re packing for vacation . . . [Crouch] breathes fresh life into matters with a mix of heart, intelligence, and philosophical musings.”—Entertainment Weekly “A trippy journey down memory lane . . . [Crouch’s] intelligence is an able match for the challenge he’s set of overcoming the structure of time itself.”—Time “Wildly entertaining . . . another winning novel from an author at the top of his game.”—AV Club

Lindy

I found it very formulaic (but somehow lacking in understanding of how the formulae are supposed to work) and Christopher Nolan-y.

This is a screenplay written as a novel. Or, this is what happens when a screenwriter renders his blockbuster idea in prose. Unfortunately what happens is the dialogue is usually wooden and overly-straightforward, without a shred of nuance; any sort of plot exegesis is delivered offhand and matter-of-fact. Scenes occurs at breakneck pace. Settings blur past the camera...you get the idea. Maybe this is normal for the genre: epic (sort-of)-sci-fi thriller? I've never read a Jack Reacher novel before...

Thankfully time travel is not approached with the intent of deliberately confusing the reader. Timelines split, things repeat, but the reader may rest assured that any of these threads can be plausibly abandoned at any time, if the plot so calls for it. Which means you don't have to keep it all in your head as the plot progresses.

It would be chauvinistic to suggest this is bad writing, cinema-as-a-novel, so I won't, but also because it isn't. The plot is extremely fluid and interesting and engaging; the romance and trauma genuinely heartrending. But everything else feels flat, rendered in 2D, without any of the depth I have come to expect from the format. (In all likelihood I am projecting my dissatisfaction, in a way, with the poor quality of modern cinema onto this poor novel. Sorry)

0xADADA

This was one of those rare books that gets you thinking, questioning the nature of memory, identity, and reality itself. I continue to think about it days after having read it.

An awesome take on the genre, an im super excited Netflix bought the rights to make a TV series. This is a must read

Sonia Grgas

Really 3.5 - 3 for first half and 4 for second half. Saying why that is would be a spoiler.

Smart, suspenseful, and surprisingly touching. This was my second time reading Blake Crouch, and it definitely won't be my last.

Frederik De Bosschere

I read this book in about 4 sittings. Extremely thought provoking, unpredictable, and an amazing ending. One of the few books I’d consider re-reading for fun 

Abigail Stutz

Syahla Aurel

** spoiler alert **
           This book was a whole journey. Truthfully at first it was kind of tiring and hurtful to see them dying over and over again, but fortunately the ending justified all of their agony lol. I also felt like this book would be a good movie like Inception. I recommend this book to anyone who likes sci-fi story.

Danielle 

This is a book I truly can't stop thinking about, similar to Dark Mater by the same author. I'm not the most experienced sci fi reader, but I knew I had to read this one after loving Dark Matter, and I am so glad I did. I'm also glad I knew nothing about this book before reading it! 

There was some technical stuff that I know went right over my head, but I still understood the plot and enjoyed the characters and their development. This story makes you think about life, the choices we make, the thing that are out of our control, human nature, and so much more. 

It's a fantastic summer read and I highly recommend it!

Quinn Tenorio

I read Crouch's previous book Dark Matter and ripped through it. The way he writes and the concepts he plays with in his books are so well executed. I then picked up this book from my local library and was so happy to have ready it. A fantastic book just as good as Dark Matter, I highly recommend, especially if you enjoy mind-bending concepts.

Lakshya Malik

Hmm so let's see. Recursion is a science-fiction thriller novel written by Blake Crouch. It is mind-bending, slick, invigorating, and at the best of its times, a solid page-turner. 

Some problems I have
I read Crouch's Dark Matter and I loved the book. Loved the story, the characters, and in all and all, it was an immersive and enjoyable ride. 

Recursion, however, felt like it missed the mark a little towards the last quarter. The novel is divided internally into five books (or parts) and epilogue. The first three parts, or books, were quite interesting but with the onset of book four—it felt like I was now reading a different story. As if the main story with the protagonists and the antagonist ended with book three and afterward, it was just an extension. And, even though a logical extension, it was slightly harder to get through. 

With book five, the story pulled me back in for a little while, and then again, it became hard to read and even a little exhausting. But I will say that the last twenty-five or so pages were really good and the ending and epilogue were well carried out.

Overall, I feel the book was a good sci-fi thriller and will definitely bend your minds in all the amazing ways.

Final rating: 3.75 stars (rounded off to 4 for goodreads)