Henry and Clare's life together is unoriented in time. A memory for one is the future for another, their past and their present are so intertwined that they are literally fated to be together. The unusual romance could stand as a metaphor for romance itself - two people destined to be together, feeling as though they've known each other forever, knowing they would not be the person they are today without the other.
Novelist Niffenegger is also a visual artist who teaches at the Columbia College Chicago Center for Book and Paper Arts, and those sensibilities come through in her vivid descriptions in general, and Clare's art in particular. She paints delicately detailed characterizations not only of Henry and Clare, but their circle of friends and relatives, and coming to the end of the book is like losing touch with good friends.
I can only focus on audiobooks while driving, and The Time Traveler’s Wife made me wish my commute were even longer. Well, almost. Niffenegger's delicious prose is well-suited to the dual reader strategy employed by Highbridge Audio, with William Hope reading Henry's narration and Laurel Lefkow reading Clare's.
Listening to a book is a very different experience from reading one. The occasional quirk of pronunciation distracts a little, the very occasional difference between my interpretation of mood and the readers' distracted slightly more. Hope maintains a wry, ironic tone that doesn't fit with my mental soundtrack of Henry, but Lefkow perfectly captures the innocent wonder of the child Clare, the rapid-tongued nervousness of the teenage Clare, and the poised bemusement of the adult Clare.
To hear a clip, or to order directly from the publisher, visit the Highbridge Audio website. The book and audiobook versions are also available from Amazon.
Links:
- Highbridge Audio's unabridged version
- Highbridge Audio's abridged version
- Audrey Niffenegger's website
- Niffenegger's art, from Printworks Gallery
Edited: [GH]
Article comments
1 - T McDonald
All my life, I have discovered the best books. It's a talent of mine, proof being that I'm always right about the quality, always leaps before Oprah finally finds it to showcase. I can find the best books before they've been reviewed--put me in a bookstore and I'll sniff them out, the kind you regret to stop reading, the kind you wish you were a part of somehow.
I'd never heard of this book, but picked it up somewhat attracted by the cover. At first I groaned at the mention of time-travel--I'm not a diehard science fiction fan. But reading the first couple of paragraphs, then dipping into parts here and there sealed the deal; I paid full price.
Soul mates, Henry & Clare. Their relationship defines how we classify those people who find each other--again, and again. Having found my soul mate, I always declared myself lucky. My best friend, for instance, has never found hers and never will. Her loss explains why she could not understand the darkness that came over me when my soul mate died--"a year to get over it," she'd begrudgingly concede, impatient for me to snap out of it and go out with her to singles' bars.
Perhaps this novel would give her a clue about those extra ordinary bonds that form between two people and seem to withstand everything, even time. Babbling to my therapist, who was vainly trying to help me through it, I blurted tearfully, "It was my turn to be left behind this time."
Being mortal, like Clare, I am confined to my present consciousness. But as an observer of Henry & Clare, I can see how this has all played out over--I guess we can call it time, for want of a better term. It's a matter of minutes, centuries, psyche, universe, eternity. We'll do it again.
2 - Natalie Bennett
This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States. Nice work!
3 - Patricia Pomeroy Tanner
How can I get you to review my book, Mercy Triumphs ISBN # 1-59453-495-0?
Patricia
4 - Diane Kristine
Click on "Ads/Review Material" at the top of the page for the contact info if you want to offer a review copy to Blogcritics.