The Time Traveler's Wife

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger is a love story suspended throughout time. Henry is born with a genetic disease that allows him to travel through time. This disease becomes both a gift and a curse at some points: on the bright side, the traveling has saved his life and introduced him to Clare. On the negative side, he knows the future, a gift his friends covet but Henry knows differently. There are rules to time traveling such as Henry is not allowed to bring anything with him to the past or future—no clothes, no guests. He only obtains knowledge. But the story isn’t about the time traveler.

Clare leads a normal life until, at the age of seven, when she is playing outside in the meadow by her house, she spots a naked man. Future Henry continues to visit Clare throughout her childhood, the visitations ending on her eighteenth birthday. She then meets him in the present when she is twenty years old and their relationship escalates quickly.  

Clare and Henry’s relationship reaches average milestones such as marriage and a child. However, their married life is plagued by long absences, the inability to conceive because the fetuses time travel, and awkward excuses to families and friends about Henry’s whereabouts. I would tell you how the story ends, but that would ruin the ending and I hate ruining endings.

If you own The Time Traveler’s Wife the movie, I want you to pick up the dvd, throw it in the trash, and go out and get the book. The movie, which I saw two years ago when it was released into theaters, does not do the story justice. There are characters, plots and substantial details that are left out of the movie to condense it into a two hour film. I bought the book right before I saw the movie, but due to being an English major, I have just gotten to the book now. It is also on my adventure through the100 Greatest Novels list that I acquired from http://www.thebest100lists.com/best100novels/ but the list has since then changed.

                                                                                                                         

The novel presents some important questions about time and fate. The two biggest questions repeated throughout are—do we really have free will or is everything determined by fate? and if we knew the future, what would we do with that information? The answers to these questions are entwined with incidents such as Henry knowing 9/11 would happen without being able to do anything to prevent it and Henry knowing the exact moment he would die and accepting it.

Niffenegger creates truly unique characters in Clare and Henry. Henry is the non-musical son of a singer and violinist who quotes poetry as well as punk rock song lyrics. He is described as, in vernacular terms, a hot librarian. Clare is a good Catholic girl from money who grows up to be an anarchy-supporting, can’t cook a meal, literally starving artist. The procession of Clare’s character is noticeable as she ages in the story. She begins as an optimistic, carefree girl and the reader can see as she grows up with an acceleration of maturity burdened with more responsibilities.

One thing I will live you with for this book review is a warning. This story is not for the saintly or children. Translation: there is a lot of sex and, if you’re only 15, you might want to wait until you are older. If you can handle the rated R, then pick this up right away. 

I give this novel 4 stars for fabulous. 

The Hunger Games

In this young adult trilogy by Suzanne Collins, Katniss Everdeen is a teenage girl in a future dystopian society located in what used to be the United States. In this country, Panem, the government enforces a cruel yearly ritual called the Hunger Games-- a televised fight to the death in which 24 young people from the 12 districts of Panem, between the ages of 12-17, are forced to face the elements and homicidal opponents. The last one living is crowned "victor."

Katniss is a young woman devoted to her family, especially her 12-year-old sister Prim. Thus, when Prim's name is called in the Reaping, the selection of tributes for the Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers to go in Prim's place. Another tribute is chosen from Katniss's poverty-striken home, District 12, by the name of Peeta Mellark. The Games present pageantry at its finest as the tributes are fitted with stylists and costumes, just to prepare themselves for death in the arena.

Katniss manages to woo the audience. With her combined with her strong abilities with her bow, some help from sponsors who deem her worthy, unlikely allies and a budding fake romance with Peeta, Katniss tries to survive the arena of the Hunger Games and escape with her life.

(I will not give a description of the next 2 books of the series, because I was dying to find out what happened and killed my own suspense by looking up spoilers).



***

This "The Lottery" meets Brave New World series made my love of dystopic novels grow, even though I thought that that was impossible. Every detail about this society is thought out and Collins leaves no questions asked, which is a magnificent feat for a writer creating a whole new world.

The names given to the characters are creative, but not so far out there that the reader doesn't question what he or she is saying. It is helpful that the names sound like vernacular words, such as "Peeta" sounds like "Peter" or "Haymitch" is two strewn together syllables that are easy to pronounce.

Though there is a love triangle, which thanks to Twilight is leaving all the tween and teen girls picking battle sides, it is not intensified to the point of Team Edward or Team Jacob. Peeta is presented as a boy who has admired Katniss for years and Gale is Katniss's best friend that, when faced with death, Katniss realizes she has feelings for. The young gentlemen in the love triangle aren't constantly ripping off their shirts, trying to prove which one is more masculine and thus more willing of love. Peeta and Gale are civilized and even form a camaraderie.

The female protagonist, Katniss, is extremely likable. She has a strong personality that seems standoffish to other characters in the books, but she becomes a female role model and epic heroine-- someone young girls can look up to when striving for strength. Katniss supports her mother and sister and cherishes her family relationships. She hunts, she fights, she is one of the guys but can alter her personality away from the masculine and into a stubborn young woman. Katniss's non-ability to fake emotion makes the triumphant efforts of bravery, honor and sincerity she puts forth genuine, an extremely noble characteristic.

As with most dystopic novels, Katniss becomes the general maverick narrator, thus allowing her to know that the conditions she lives in are wrong and she doesn't idolize the way of life the government has presented. The nonconformist point of view is usually best with dystopic novels, because it allows the reader to see the society as different from the norm of modern day society. Narrators like Mr. Savage in Brave New World, Violet in Feed or The Giver in The Giver display modern standards and values, allowing the author to demonstrate the wackiness of the situation.

I did not appreciate the amount of deaths in all three novels, but I do know what Collins is touching on. Her series advocates the effects of war and oppression and young people should understand that war means that friends die. It was very easy to get attached to the characters and feel the devastation when a character passes away.

Overall, I give the book 5 stars for DON'T PUT THIS BOOK DOWN! Not that you will feel like you need to. I read this in 3 days because I couldn't put it down.