More than two decades on, the passion that ignited Niffenegger’s debut has all but evaporated from this confused follow-up I run a reading workshop which begins with a little shelf assessment. Participants bring a stack of books that have shaped who they are: childhood treasures; new revelations; comfort reads.
Books they once cherished but have now outgrown. The usual suspect in that category is Audrey Niffenegger’s 2003 novel The Time Traveler’s Wife . Once smitten, readers now find that time-warped romance cruel. What felt like destiny now feels like a cage. As they explain, I’m always struck by the same thought: Wasn’t it always cruel?
Wasn’t that the point? Henry DeTamble and Clare Abshire are a couple caught in a causal loop. The irresolvable question is where that loop starts: does a bright young art student fall in love with a junior librarian, or does a time-travelling man groom a child to become his future wife?
If the answer is both – and it has to be – what are we to make of their marriage? Can you truly choose someone if you believe the choice is already made? Continue reading...
