Book Review: 'The Time Traveler's Wife' - Audrey Niffenegger

The Timer Traveler’s Wife is a romantic science-fiction story about the strange relationship between a time traveler and his wife. The male protagonist, Henry DeTamble, has a genetic disorder that forces him to travel through time (both to the past and the future) involuntarily. He meets Clare Abshire when she is six and he, thirty-six. The novel explores certain themes regarding a relationship from the crux of what love is and could be, to the elusive idea of fate.

The strangest thing about this book is the constant switch of POVs (point-of-views) between Clare and Henry. I haven’t read such a book before, and it took a while getting used to, but I rather enjoyed it. This reinforces the fact that both Henry and Clare are the main characters (one isn’t more important than the other). Also, this constant interchanging symbols their equality. In their relationship, Clare and Henry are equals, There is no male dominance or one-sided love. They are equal in every sense.

“I realise that I have forgotten my present Henry in my joy at seeing my once and future Henry, and I am ashamed. I feel an almost maternal longing to go solace the strange boy who is becoming the man before me, the one who kisses me and leaves me with an admonition to be nice. As I walk up the stairs I see the Henry of my future fling himself into the midst of the slam dancers, and I move as in a dream to find the Henry who is my here and now.” (Pg 158)

Clare is confused, and I don’t blame her. Henry has been a constant appearance in her life. He’s always been there, never much changing. He is familiar to her. So it is very bizarre for her to try and reconnect with the present Henry (who has really just met her) who is quite different from the Henry she’s known her whole life. Here, she is at a concert with the present Henry and meets her future Henry who has time traveled to the same concert. She’s filled with joy at seeing the constant Henry. Then, she is ashamed because in a way, she feels like she’s just cheated on her present Henry. This constant Henry is more paternal as is seen by his “admonition to be nice”. The present Henry is much more youthful, laid back, and impulsive.

The author has such a lovely way of phrasing her sentences. She describes the future Henry “fling[ing] himself into the midst of the slam dancer”. The word ‘flinging’ sounds like desperation, an attempt to get away quickly. This is what Henry does; he flees. That motion of flinging really sums up Henry’s way of living.

“  ‘Hey, let’s buy Gomez and Charisse a car for their wedding.’

   ‘I think they gave us wine glasses.’ We are galumphing down the stairs. Outside it’s a perfect spring night. We stand on the sidewalk in front of our apartment building, and Henry takes my hand, and I look at him, and I raise our joined hands and Henry twirls me around and soon we’re dancing down Belle Plaine Avenue, no music but the sound of cars whooshing by and our own laughter, and the smell of cherry blossoms that fall like snow on the sidewalk as we dance underneath the trees.” (Pg 280)

Something I really like in this story is the soft, unassuming humour. The book doesn’t strive to be humorous, but the author recreates a day-to-day feeling that would be remiss without strange and mundane anecdotes that seem to mean so little in retrospect but encompass a whole range of feeling for reality. I think the unintentional makes the story so much more real and relatable.

In the above extract, I see the image of love. Here is a perfect example that love doesn’t cost money. You need not go to a fancy restaurant with expensive wines and small portions of caviar. Clare and Henry find such happiness in a simple stroll together, admiring the beauty of the world. They are dancing to the music of the cars and their laughter - which is really just the author’s way of telling us they revel in each other’s company. The beautiful thing about Clare and Henry's relationship is how enduring their love is. Niffenegger gives us the privilege of viewing their unorthodox introduction(s) and investigates the entire foundation and structure for their relationship. The key for Clare and Henry is their waiting. Niffenegger conjures up old ideas of romance - a Penelope patiently waiting for Odysseus to come home.

Niffenegger also explores the idea of choice and fate. Clare protests to Henry in one scene that she "never had a choice" because he made her fall in love with him since she was a little girl and negated any other option. Perhaps the author wishes to illustrate the lack of choice any of us have in terms of love. The sense of fear and powerlessness demonstrated by Clare is the same the same uncertainty we encounter when we are faced with an overwhelming relationship. We are allowed to see the private and imperfect parts of the couple's relationship that endears them all the more to us and makes their successes so much sweeter.

So many things could go wrong with the plot. To make a science-fiction love story believable and touching and easy to comprehend is no easy feat. I admire the ordinary and extraordinary trials Clare and Henry go through over the setting of such quirkiness. This story is very easy to read and immerse yourself in because it treats love with such fragile care and brazen carelessness simultaneously that it feels like something incredibly real and beautiful.

 - Calista