The title of The Time Traveler's Wife would have you believe that it's a story based on themes of science fiction or fantasy, but that's not the case. While there are, of course, supernatural elements in the novel, the story itself is deeply grounded in love and human emotion.
The Time Traveler's Wife is the story of Henry, a man who (since he was a child) possesses the capability of involuntary time travel. The story begins in his late twenties when he meets his future wife, Clare. Upon meeting Clare, Henry discovers that she already knows him very well having met him while he was time traveling throughout her childhood and adolescence. After their meeting, the book takes us through the evolution of their relationship in both current time and in Clare's childhood when an adult Henry (at many ages) comes to her from her future life.
The Time Traveler's Wife is one of the few books in modern fiction to combine commercial, page-turning appeal and literary merit. Stories with a heavy emphasis on romance are often given a bad rep for being cheesy, saccharine, or soapy.
But what Audrey Niffenegger has created is a romantic story with enough plot, action, and explanation to make the star-crossed aspects of this relationship believable. She intertwines the page-turning action with realistic sexuality and romance so that it is never gooey or heavy handed.
Niffenegger has given us one of the most interesting and endearing portraits of a relationship ever set to the page. It is no surprise that The Time Traveler's Wife ascended to the commercial success that it did when it combines the best qualities of so many genres to create it's understandable and well-deserved mass appeal.
Grade: A
*The Strand 80
*Exclusive Books Boeke Prize
*British Book Award
*Today Show Book Club Selection
*Shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award
*The Best 100 List
*Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers
*AV Club, Best Books of '00s
*AV Club, Best Books of '00s
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