This book written by Audrey Niffenegger in 2003 is about a passionate but heartbreaking love story that can make the reader cry within minutes, but can also stir arbitrary questions for many. The main characters, Henry and Clare are star-crossed lovers that fight to be with each other-no matter what time period or age-even when Clare is as young as a little girl, they long to be together. I would definitely recommend this book to many curious and romantic story lovers out there, but there are some things to keep in mind when reviewing this book in various perspectives.
First, although the title gives it away, Henry can time travel, but it isn’t that he can choose when to, and where to. He pops in and out of thin air and is buck naked whenever he arrives in the time zones that his condition causes him. But of course, Henry and Clare still try to find each other in the same time zones, and fight for the battle between their love and his seemingly annoying time travel spasms. The weird thing that I personally noticed was when he would time travel randomly to the small backyard behind her house; this would happen more frequently, so as a little girl Clare found herself longing to be with him-and to get more intimate. Even though they eventually are married and love each other very much, Clare’s childhood contains mostly of a middle-aged man wandering in her backyard. In the beginning of the book, when Clare is 13, Henry time travels to the moment in 1984, as the age of 35. It is true that in a different time period they are husband and wife, and they are married at appropriate ages, but a 13 year old girl alone with a 35 year old grown man just doesn’t seem right. Soon Henry notices that Clare had gotten a lot bigger, growing in places she should be at 13, but he tries “not to think about it as I watch her walk up the path.” Then later throughout the page he holds the urge to run his hands in her hair. Sure, this can be seen as cute, or gentlemanly, but is it really though? In the situation of a 35 year old man, and 13 year old girl, it’s really just inappropriate and sexual. Another example is seen just a few pages after, of newly licensed 16 year old Clare, and 32 year old Henry. She demands for a kiss from him, and he gives her one. To be fair, the author doesn’t mention anything more than just a kiss, but they still do it when their age gap during that time screams of 16 years. Yes, they are characters who can choose what they want to do in their lives, but it just clearly writes up a sign that says pedophilia. It’s not like they are full on making out or Henry tries to force Clare to do anything, but that the author chooses to have Henry time travel solely backwards, and not forwards. So hypothetically, his 40 year self can time travel to when Clare was 10 years old. The idea is simply eerie, of having any sort of romantic feelings between a young teenager and a middle-aged man. But at the end of the day, this book is just one of the many books with an intense amorous read of 536 pages, but can be easily seen on the flip side as too intense.
I like your first post!