When Henry meets Clare, he is twenty-eight and she is twenty. He is a hip librarian; she is a beautiful art student. Henry has never met Clare before; Clare has known Henry since she was six…
This book was a gift from a friend back in 2009 right before the movie was released and I was surprised I had not stumbled upon it.
Published in 2003, The Time Traveler’s Wife is Audrey Niffenegger’s powerful debut and is amongst one of the best love stories ever written. This is the ultimate must-read for anyone who enjoys a good and unconventional romance novel.
Get ready to spend a few sleepless nights accompanied by tears as you follow the story of Henry, the librarian and Clare, the art student. Their first meeting happened when he was twenty-eight whilst she was twenty but they have known each other since she was six and he was thirty-six. Allow me to quote adidas here that ‘impossible is nothing’.
Henry suffers from an extremely rare genetic disorder which causes him to time travel involuntarily within his own life, switching from here to there in the past and future. He is constantly pulled in and out of random moments which result in spontaneous disappearances and dangerous experiences. Clare, however, remains patient and understanding despite him missing unpredictably.
This story switches between their respective points of view with ease and unfolds easily to reel you in. You’ll find yourself wanting to discover how their passionate love for each other fuels Henry and Clare in their attempt to live normally just like everyone else by getting married, building a family together and so much more, yet dealing with uncertainties including being sick and getting into accidents because of Henry’s uncontrollable time travels.
I’d suggest reading the book first even if you’re a skeptic of whether it’s worth your time before you catch the movie (starring Eric Bana as Henry and Rachel McAdams as Clare). Either way, I’m pretty sure you’ll be spending a few sleepless nights accompanied by tears (like me) flipping through the pages of the book or in front of the screen.
