The Time Traveler's Wife

The Time Traveler's Wife By Audrey Niffenegger

The Time Traveler's Wife is the romantic story of Henry DeTamble and Clare Abshire, a couple whose love tolerates the agony of waiting. Audrey Niffenegger chronicles the tale from both partners, touching her audience with great emotion ranging from laughter to tears. The story reveals a complex and poignant relationship. I was very impressed with its originality and, at times, very sorrowful appeal. Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife enchants readers with sensational romance, exhilarating science fiction and refreshing humor.

The story takes place in a world where time traveling is not only possible, but is considered a curse because it is an uncontrollable disorder. The world of Clare and Henry is bizarre and overwhelming as well as moving and romantic. Despite the eccentricities of this world, however, I was captivated and found the possibilities very convincing. Niffenegger switches her first person view back and forth between Henry and Clare. This is a unique way of writing that grants the reader a seducing sense of intimacy. This constant switching was my favorite aspect of the book because I was able to appreciate the feelings and thoughts of both partners and favor neither of them.

Niffenegger's characters furnish the novel with the most crucial component, which is emotion. Henry DeTamble is a librarian who involuntarily travels to unpredictable times and places. He is the first person to possess his condition, which is called Chrono-Displacement Disorder. His favorite music is punk rock and he used to do drugs back when he was dating Ingrid, who he dumps the moment he meets Clare. Clare Abshire is an attractive artist whose life stays in sequential order. She has a typical family, unlike Henry's. When the two finally unite in the present, they are doomed to having a complicated and uncontrollable relationship. Although the bonds of their love are as strong as ever, Clare and Henry are continually seperated.

Henry first collides with Clare Abshire when she is six and he is thirty-six. This encounter makes it possible for Clare to know that she will meet Henry in the present. Fatalism like this is a very significant feature in the book. Clare is already in love with Henry, and it is not long before Henry is in love with Clare. Clare is twenty-three and Henry is thirty-one when they are married. Their marriage is perfect yet forever in danger because of Henry's disorder. They struggle to achieve conventional goals such as having children, friends, and steady jobs. The story dissolves with an ample amount of emotion.

The characters are alluring and the plot is magnificent. As I read the book, I was reminded of the book You Suck, written by Christopher Moore, simply because both told tales of couples struggling with very unconventional problems. (The couple in You Suck were vampires!) I recommend this book to any audience that enjoys romance and/or a little sci-fi. 536 pages.