Released: 11th June 2019
Genre: Fiction, Science Fiction
Number of Pages: 380
Using time travel in fiction is often a challenging proposition. Sci-fi author Blake Crouch makes it the central crux of Recursion, a novel that will both intrigue and confuse in equal measure.
We follow two characters; NYPD detective Barry and temporal scientist Helena as they contend with the invention of a revolutionary chair. This piece of technology can read memories and even create entirely new timelines within a person’s mind. Across the five books and an epilogue, we swap back and forth between Barry and Helena. Initially, the book sets up the science and technology behind the chair, lays out how it is used and sets the tone for the catastrophe it causes. This is blended well with the internal struggles of the protagonists; Barry suffers from depression after losing his daughter Meghan in a hit-and-run incident, while Helen watches her mother deteriorate from Alzheimer’s disease. The two paths eventually intersect as the millionaire Marcus Slade pushes the chair too far in both ambition and functionality.
This gives way to the novel’s central hook; changing the past and generating countless new events that collide with each other. The core of the book could be considered a strength or weakness depending on the reader. In its latter half, you’ll find the characters crossing between time and space at countless intervals. It’s flanked by frequent action and seemingly never-ending race against time; on the one hand, this creates strong tension and devastating destruction. But on the other, the character’s attachment to their families diminishes. It would have been interesting to weave in some internal conflict with Barry and Helena torn between their close relatives and each other. Instead, preventing the end of the world takes centre stage.
Recommended?
MAYBE: While Recursion is initially a family-focused drama blended with science fiction, the way it massively pivots towards the latter makes for a more complicated narrative. When it starts nipping between multiple timelines, the human connection is diluted somewhat. Still, if you’re able to keep up with the timeline-hopping story, Crouch’s novel offers some high points.
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