The Time Traveler's Wife (Review)

Wednesday, April 14, 2010 by B.H.

Reviewed by
Bahadur Hussain
You must have read about time machine in science fictions, right? Audrey Niffenegger’s book The Time Traveler’s Wife has a touch of it, It’s not actually about time machine rather it’s about time travelling.

This book by Audrey Niffenegger may have a little touch of science of space-time continuum in it. But the story is not science fiction rather it is a remarkable heart-melting love story of a time traveler and his true love who must have to live with the curse as a cliché.

A boy named Henry DeTamble who is fourteen, meets his love Clare when he is 36 but Clare is only 6 years old at that time but in reality Henry is only 8 years older than Clare. Yes! The man is time traveler; because of some genetic mutation, he travels through the time, although he cannot control it. He disappears reluctantly from the view and reappears in another time and another place, leaving behind all his clothes.

The heart-felt romantic story follows the straight chronology of Clare’s life. Claire has been in love with Henry for all her life since she was six. Henry travels back from the age 36 in the meadow behind Claire’s house when Claire is only 6, and Henry meets Claire and tells her that he is a time traveler. Henry is Claire’s secret love since her childhood. She used to hide clothes for Henry in the meadow since he used to appear without clothes. Henry being a time traveler knew that she was the one for him but he never told her. When she grew up she came to know that Henry would be his lover in future when they’ll finally meet. And time travelling came as an advantage too, Henry’s mother died in a car accident and Henry often used to travel back in time to see his mother though he couldn’t change what was done so he used to watch her from a distance. Claire and Henry after marriage, have only one baby daughter named Alba. This sweet, smart and beautiful little girl also happens to be a time traveler. The saddest part of the book is Henry’s death because of a gunshot, when Alba is only 5.

This book is really good for those who want to end up in tears in their eyes. To me, it’s a perfect romantic story of a strange guy. This book talks about Henry and Claire’s problems and fights regarding Henry’s unwished disappearance and unscheduled arrival. Sometimes this book will make you laugh in joy and sometimes it will leave you in tears if you feel the immenseness of their pain and it will give you those fuzzy feelings of suspense too.

Their deep ancient kind of love is the pick of the story as Henry sums up his love to Claire after many years of their marriage, ”Clare, I want to tell you, again, I love you. Our love has been the thread through the labyrinth, the net under the high-wire walker, the only real thing in this strange life of mine that I could ever trust”. Tonight I feel that my love for you has more density in this world than I do, myself: as though it could linger on after me and surround you, keep you, hold you!”…I’m sure this book will be a treat for you in this summer’s hot afternoons of loneliness and quietness.



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