“The Time Traveler’s Wife” by Audrey Niffengger - BOOK REVIEW

Rediscover the extraordinary love story of Clare and Henry.

The pair met when Clare was just six and Henry thirty-six, and were married when Clare was twenty-two and Henry thirty.

Impossible but true.

Now adapted into the major Sky TV series, The Time Traveler's Wife is the international bestselling novel of a time-altering love. Henry is a librarian who suffers from a rare condition where his genetic clock periodically resets, finding himself pulled suddenly into his past or future. Meanwhile, Clare is an artist waiting all her life for her great love Henry to appear. In the face of this force neither can prevent nor control, Henry and Clare's struggle to lead normal lives is both intensely moving and entirely unforgettable.

Throughout 2022, I reviewed the different adaptations of Aubrey Niffenegger's debut novel - so far, it has been adapted for the silver screen, small screen and stage - and naturally, I was intrigued to read the source material that has inspired screenwriters and playwrights to adapt.

Told through a non-linear narrative, The Time Traveler's Wife centres on the main couple Henry and Clare, whose messy and complicated relationship is often told out of order. Henry is a time traveller. His wife isn't. While the characters are eight years apart in age in a linear timeline, Henry is repeatedly pulled out of his own timeline and dropped into his past or future. Meanwhile, Claire meets many variations of the man who would become her husband. From childhood into adulthood, there are many gaps that the reader must fill in.

Niffenegger's writing had a distinctive style, beautiful and almost lyrical in some places. Both Henry and Clare's perspectives were written so vividly, the prose reflected their character arcs effortlessly. I read and listened to parts of this book - the narrators were Fred Berman as Henry and Phoebe Strole as Clare - and I was instantly hooked on how the audiobook brought the characters to life. Granted, Theo James and Rose Leslie were who I imagined in the lead roles as I read the book so closely after finishing the TV show, but the narrators' performances were simply superb.

There were aspects of the book that made for uncomfortable reading. Niffenegger didn't shy away from dark themes, but the timeline of Clare and Henry's relationship was a bit too ambiguous for my liking. Although the author has said that was her intention, I had mixed feelings about the inevitable nature of their relationship. In this world, time is set in stone. There's no alternative path or decisions made on a whim; Clare and Henry's lives are already scripted out for them. It is established that Henry's condition pulls him into timelines with significant relationships - his deceased mother, going back to his wife's childhood or forward to her future or even visiting himself at various ages.

As the book jumps back and forth between the lead's perspectives and timelines, there are sometimes considerable gaps in the narrative. Readers are often left to fill in those gaps themselves, as you are only given whose point of view it is and how Clare, Henry or other versions of Henry are in the chapter. As the book spans almost seventy years, there are moments I wanted the author to give a definitive answer to what happened in moments that are left up to the reader.

It is rare for me to say this, but I preferred Steven Moffatt's adaptation in terms of the portrayal of Clare and Henry's relationship and their own arcs as characters. The progression of their relationship felt way more realistic. One thing that bothered me in this book was the lack of conflict - aside from one scene where Clare let out her frustrations of their lack of normalcy as a couple, it is almost brushed under the carpet after several time jumps.

As season one ended on a cliffhanger due to HBO's decision to axe a vast majority of their productions in 2022, part of my reasons for wanting to read the original novel was to see what happened next. The conclusion of the story saw Henry and Clare experience brief moments of happiness, but the ending was foreshadowed early on. Essentially, Niffenegger struck the balance between poignancy and bittersweetness in a truly tragic ending.

After reading this, I am curious to read the much anticipated sequel - The Other Husband - which will focus on Henry and Clare's daughter, Alba. She will find herself in love with two different men: Zach, a normal man, and Oliver, a musician and fellow time-traveler. I may have to read the 25-page sample on Kindle,

I can see why this has been the source material for several adaptations in recent years. The vast scope of Aubrey Niffenegger's debut novel gives plenty of creative freedom to screenwriters and playwrights to add their own take on this time-travelling romance. Truthfully, I would gladly accept the challenge of adapting this book into another medium - if I ever have the opportunity.

I would highly recommend the audiobook if anyone is planning on reading the book. Fans also have the film and television adaptations penned by Ghost's Bruce Joel Rubin and Doctor Who's Steven Moffatt, respectively - both of which I have reviewed on Vocal. Although I enjoyed the prose and the mystery element of the plot, it did take me a while to read this novel in its entirety.

My rating for The Time Traveler's Wife is ★★★½.