Sometimes I have read books for the most superficial reasons. A family member gave one of my kids Time and Again, by Jack Finney, telling her it was one of his favorite books as a kid. That piqued my interest because this family member and I generally have similar reading interests. But what really got me was that Stephen King blurbed the book, calling it, “The great time travel book.” When Stephen King (and our cousin) speak, I listen. And it’s a good thing I did! It was totally delightful.
First, a note for those who are immediately turned off by a book about time travel. When I think of time travel, what first comes to mind is Back to the Future or Dr. Who. What doesn’t come to mind is anything like Time and Again. While time travel is the substrate that makes the story work, it’s not what made it a great book.
I actually had tremendous doubts after the first ten pages. Most books take some time to get to the meat of a story, but Finney dove right in, and it felt pretty abrupt. What also concerned me was the stilted, juvenile dialogue. But after fifty pages or so, quite inexplicably, it all changed. The story slowed down, the language and dialogue matured, and the entire tempo and depth of the story opened up.
Time and Again is about a physicist who discovers that the human brain can, under the right circumstances and based on Einstein’s theory of relativity, move itself back in time. Our main character goes back to 1882, New York City. The core part of the narrative is about how he gets connected to people in that timeline, some for the good (including a love interest – though entirely chaste, as it should be in 1882), and others for ill. What emerges is that the time travel part is only the catalyst for an amazing story. The real story is a thriller, mostly in 1882, and a little in the present day, which I won’t spoil.
Some of the most beautiful and intriguing parts of the book are the descriptions of New York during that time, and how they compare to New York today. There’s a bit of nostalgia here, though the author does take the time to explore New York’s poor underbelly, and the terrible consequences of not having a social safety net. It’s a sentimental, almost beatific painting of late 19th century American life. The values were simpler and more wholesome, the landscape less cluttered, the environment less toxic. Whether this is true or not I could not say, but seeing the modern city I drive through daily through the eyes of 1882 was fascinating and a lot of fun.
One of the most interesting choices the author made was to include pictures and photographs from the time, passing them off as those of the narrator. It grounded the story in reality (even as it is a book of fantasy), bringing the time period, and the narrator, to life.
I wish I could read Time and Again over again.
Just Because I Liked It:
- Some friends recommended a new news service, Tangle. Its goal is to create a more balanced news experience. After a brief summary of the day’s news, they link to and summarize three to four articles that address the issues on the “left,” and then another three to four on the “right”. At the end, the editor and founder gives his opinion. Whether you agree with it or not, it’s invariably thoughtful. I quite enjoy the deeper dives on a single pressing issue, and seeing its many sides. It’s free to sign up, though there’s a paid version that has some benefits.