Gosh... What an amazing story! This was such a lovely book to read and I was very sad when I came to the end and had to put it down :( Have you ever read a book where it feels like it was written by someone who knows you very well, and who wanted to write a story for you? I don't mean as in the actual literal story-line. I am certainly not the wife of a time-traveler! But in the references and the quotes used within the story. So many of the book, film and music references within this are things that I know and love and that makes it so much more enjoyable to read. Plus there is this thread of 'Britishness' running through it also which adds another area to relate too. And then on top of that, the story is simply brilliant, intelligent and incredibly cleverly and sensitively written..
You would think that a book written about time-traveling, where one of the characters is constantly jumping from time to time would be confusing to read. You could be forgiven for thinking that it would all be too much effort to try and keep track so why bother. Well, please do bother :) I don't know how Niffenegger does it (other than the fact that she's obviously a very good writer) but the way that she tells the story and how the scenes fit into one another is so easy to keep up with that the whole story is such a pleasure to read. I didn't find it confusing or hard to read at all, not even at the beginning when the dates chop and change a bit as the story starts to get going - which it does, very quickly. Each new chapter gives you more information about what you've read in the past until you begin to build up the whole picture of Henry and Clare's lives. It's so very very clever.
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In real-time Henry is eight years older than Clare, they are married and are completely and utterly in love as much as it's possible for two people to be. Clare first meets Henry when she is 6 and he is 36, but the first time they meet in real-time is years later when Clare is 20 and Henry is 28. This is because Henry sufferers from a rare genetic disease which comes to be known as Chrono-displacement Disorder, meaning his genetic clock randomly resets itself causing him to travel through time and therefore his future is already Clare's past. Thus when they meet in real-time Clare knows who Henry is but he has no idea who she is, since he hasn't yet traveled back to the time when he meets her. But that's all I'm going to say on the jumping around part of the story. Niffenegger does it far better than I ever could hope to so you'll just have to read to see how that part of it all works out. But if you want to read a complete run-down of the actual plot click here as Wikipedia do a pretty accurate description. But personally I'd say read the book. There is so much more happening within it that simply reading the plot outline won't give you a true reflection of what the story is actually about.
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The best thing about this story was Henry and Clare's love for one another and the way Niffenegger conveys this. It's awful for Clare each time Henry jumps out of her time but she handles it stoically, always knowing that he will be back but not knowing what kind of trouble he's in while he's away. The chapters where he meets Clare when she is a child are so sweet. How many people who are truly in love would grasp the opportunity to go back and see their wife/husband as they were when they were children? I think a lot of us probably would. During their meetings when Clare is young he teaches her French and German, about books and all the things he loves and so ends up playing a big part in shaping her into the person she becomes because the relationship for Clare begins to early. Now, don't get the wrong idea - there is definitely nothing sordid about these parts of the story although it's hard not to get the wrong idea since every time Henry leaps in he's obviously naked in front of a 6 year old! For anyone to think these chapters have a Lolita-esque quality would be taking an a level of integrity away from the story and their relationship which it doesn't deserve. Henry's love for her when she is younger is very paternal, which I know throws up a whole load of other psychiatry related questions but that's the genius of the story. It makes you think about so much and formulate so many questions while you read it that trying to keep up with the time-travel aspect is really quite a breeze!
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When Henry time travels nothing goes with him - no clothes, no money, not even teeth fillings. So whenever he jumps he goes there naked and somtimes, if he jumps to somewhere unfamiliar, has a hard time finding clothes to start with. In order get what he needs he has to steal, mug, pick-pocket and fight whilst also dealing with the disorientation of being whipped unexpectedly from the present. Subsequently, when Henry leaps back to the present time he is sometimes bloody and bruised, adding to Clare's anguish in knowing that there is nothing she can do to prevent the man she loves from being hurt. Neither can Henry change the future when he travels back, no matter how much he wants too. Because in reality things that are have already happened and therefore he can not prevent things that are inevitable in shaping the direction of his future, or anyone elses.
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The chapters where they are trying for a baby are particularly heart-rendering to read. Niffenegger has given us such a gem with this novel. Not only has she created a very plausible time-traveling story, backed up with very plausible scientific references (the disease being likened to that of epilepsy and Henry seems to jump usually when he gets stressed, or sees flickering light), she also manages to expertly show us how Henry and Clare are feeling from each perspective. Clare is desperate for baby so that she can always have a part of Henry with her when he goes away. Henry wants to give Clare that baby but at the same time doesn't want to because of the severe difficulty carrying the baby to term caused by his disorder. Not once does Niffenegger slip up with the ever-encircling time-line. Everything within the story made sense to me and the skill with which she weaves the scenes together is so expertly done you just seem to know exactly where you are at all times.
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There is a brilliant scene where Henry and Clare get married in the present day but because Henry is stressed (wedding nerves and definitely not wanting to jump on that day of all days) he inevitably jumps out of real time. Fortunately just before he does, he sees his future self turn up and it is actually his future self that ends up marrying the present Clare. Later at the reception the present Henry returns (after spending a pleasant few hours talking to younger Clare) and the future Henry jumps back to his real time somewhere in the future (another classic scene in the book!). Henry and Clare then get married for real a couple of days later since they didn't really marry on the day they were supposed too. Confused? You won't be, trust me :) The following discussion as to whether Clare is a bigamist because she's married Henry twice is quite funny but goes to show how much attention to detail Niffenegger has lavished on her story and characters.
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I don't want to give anything away, especially if you haven't read the plot, but I think it's safe to say that you know really from the very beginning that the story will end sadly :( No one could ever really believe this kind of story would have a happy ending. I can't pin-point exactly what it is that Niffenegger does but there is definitely that undercurrent of unavoidable risk lurking just below the surface of the story. But knowing that it's coming makes the end a little more bearable. The final chapter is so incredibly sad that it seems not even Niffenegger can find the words to do the scene justice. Instead, she leaves us with an extract from Homer's The Odyssey and leaves the intensity and joy of their final meeting our own imaginations. And this is the last time I will say it I promise - but this book is just simply amazing: clever, intelligent and fantastically written. I challenge anyone who reads it not to enjoy it. You will lose :)
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Finally, for the record I would just like to say that, like Clare, I too will leap tall buildings and wash-up when it's not my turn in order to get it. Any girl who knows what's good for her would do :D
