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

The unusual love story of Clare and Henry, who met when Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six, but got married when Clare was twenty-three and Henry was thirty-one. Henry suffers from Chrono-Displacement Disorder, wherein his genetic clock will reset and he will find himself traveling through time to both his past and future. Henry’s time-traveling is unpredictable and spontaneous, yet the couple try to live a normal life.

“Don’t you think it’s better to be extremely happy for a short while, even if you lose it, than to be just okay for your whole life?”

This book gives me feels. Deep, deep feels. Admittedly, I don’t read much romance at all, but every now and again I will come across a book, or even a romantic storyline in a non-romance genre, that will just reach into my chest cavity and tug on those heartstrings. Clare and Henry’s love story is one of those situations. The fact that Henry travels through time and yet nearly always seems to find Clare… *tears up* My favourite aspect of their relationship is that they’re basically really normal people (apart from the whole time-traveling thing, of course) – they have their arguments and disagreements, but at the end of it all, they’re just a couple who are deeply in love.

I love how *double checks spelling* Niffenegger tells this story – she flips back and forth between Clare and Henry’s perspective. At the beginning, she also moves back and forth in time, from Clare and Henry’s first meetings when Clare is young, to present day. Initially the “rules” of the time travelling can be a little confusing, but once you get a grasp on it, it flows pretty seamlessly. I really like how Niffenegger portrays their relationship, she covers quite a lot of the minutiae of their everyday lives, seemingly “boring” events, but it weirdly makes you feel like you’re also a part of their relationship and I found myself more attached to them for those reasons. I finished the book a few days ago now and I STILL miss them.

I don’t have many complaints for this one, although the amount of sex can become quite repetitive and makes me want to roll my eyes. Now I ain’t no prude or anything, but it was just a lot at times.

Overall, a really beautiful, heartbreaking story that will make you believe in true love and go through an entire box of Kleenex.

Johann

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