The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

My edition: 2004 Vintage Paperback

First published: 2003

Pages: 519

Source: Own copy

Audrey Niffenegger's dazzling debut is the story of Clare, a beautiful, strong-minded art student, and Henry, an adventuresome librarian, who have known each other since Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six, and were married when Clare was twenty-three and Henry thirty-one. Impossible but true, because Henry is one of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder: his genetic clock randomly resets and he finds himself misplaced in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity from his life, past and future. His disappearances are spontaneous and unpredictable, and lend a spectacular urgency to Clare and Henry's unconventional love story. That their attempt to live normal lives together is threatened by something they can neither prevent nor control makes their story intensely moving and entirely unforgettable.

Thoughts: Enchanting and captivating, The Time Traveler's Wife pursues the unique romance of ordinary artist Clare and her extraordinary, time-traveling husband Henry. Born with a genetic disease, Henry's talent of time travelling helps introduce him to the love of his life - who is only six years old when she first meets Henry in the meadow by her house. Fast forward to the modern day, Henry is twenty-eight and working in the library, when he first meets 'astoundingly beautiful amber-haired' Clare who convinces himself to believe that 'at some point in time we have a really amazing thing together'.

With high expectations after watching the movie adaptation of The Time Traveler’s Wife, I expected the book to be fantastic, fresh and original. The book didn't disappoint. It's complex format, shifting from one time frame to another, kept me hooked and deeply engaged with Clare and Henry's lives. I loved their passion. I loved their confusion. And I completely loved this novel. 

Niffenegger's best selling novel is both beautiful and tragic, classic yet modern. An absolute must read for fans of romantic love stories with a science-fiction kick.

My rating: ★★★★