When I went to Denver for a conference last month, a person that I met there recommended that I read The Time Traveler’s Wife. It just so happened that we were at the Tattered Cover, one of the largest independent bookstores in the country, so I decided to pick up a copy to read.
The title of this book does give a bit away, as it tells the story of Henry, the time traveler, and his wife, Claire. He could disappear at any time for any amount of time and be transported into the past or on rare occasions, the future. At one point, his travels take him to the year 1977, in which he meets a six year-old girl named Claire. The novel develops through time as the lives of Henry and Claire progress at different rates until they crossed paths in 1991. Although Claire knows all about Henry, he has no idea about her, as these events hadn’t yet occurred.
I know it sounds kind of bizarre and borderline science fiction, but it’s actually a great well-written love story between a ‘normal’ woman and a ‘chronologically-impaired’ man. If you’ve read this, share your thoughts. If you’d like to read it, the UW system has several copies available to check out.
They are going to make this into a movie (for 2008?), according to http://www.imdb.com. It is a terrific book.