From the publisher: Memory
makes reality. That’s what NYC cop Barry Sutton is learning, as he investigates
a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life
they never lived. That’s what neuroscientist Helena Smith believes. It’s why
she’s dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our
most precious memories. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a
first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent. As
Barry searches for the truth, he comes face to face with an opponent more
terrifying than any disease—a force that attacks not just our minds, but the
very fabric of the past. And as its effects begin to unmake the world as we
know it, only he and Helena, working together, will stand a chance at defeating
it. An intricate science-fiction puzzlebox about time, identity, and memory.
Blake Crouch’s Recursion
is not a perfect book but it is a highly enjoyable one. It’s a classic time
travel story with a twist – if someone goes back in time and changes the
timeline, everyone affected by the change remembers their old timeline as well
as their new timeline. This causes confusion, paranoia, and an increased suicide
rate. The inventor of the technology that allows this to happen is trying to
erase it from time, while others want to use it for good to change the past … but
unexpected consequences are not predictable.
Recursion has a
compelling narrative, and I found it hard to put down. I couldn’t quite follow
all the timey-wimey stuff and have no idea whether the science is somewhat real
or utterly ridiculous, but the characters are sympathetic enough that I did not
worry too much about the timelines. I found the overall resolution predictable
but not the steps the author took to get there. (I am confused by the very end –
someone read it and tell me what it means!)
Recommended for readers who enjoy contemporary thrillers
with a futuristic touch.
Recursion comes
out on June 11 and has already been purchased by Netflix for a TV series. It
will be available in print and as an ebook at the Galesburg Public Library.
