During this winter holiday, I read through the book The Time Traveler’s Wife. It’s a novel about love, also a novel about time. When love is put in an indefinite date, no one can know when the love starts as well as when it ends, let alone how deep the love is. “The time traveler’s wife” tell us such a story.
Clare meets Henry for the first time when she is 6 and he is 36. Henry meets Clare for the first time when he is 28 and she is 20. They marry when Clare is 23 and Henry is 31. Although Clare has known Henry nearly all her life, Henry has only known Clare for three years. Sound confusing? Maybe. But it did happen in the life of Henry. Henry De Tamble is a person with a weird disease which is called Chrono-Displacement Disorder (CDD), making him a time traveler. Thus that makes it possible for an older version of Henry to visit his "real time" wife when she is still a child, while the 28-year-old version of him has no idea who she is when he meets her for the first time in October 1991.
Time traveling sounds so miraculous and wonderful that it seems like a gift bestowed by God. However, the truth is the ability made Henry suffers a lot. The trouble Henry has is having no control over when you travel, where you travel to, or how long you'll be gone. Even any number of events or emotions can cause Henry’s sudden disappearance with clothes lying on the ground. Although Henry usually travels to places he has ever been during the course of his lifetime and is often easily able to locate his "past" self or young Clare for assistance, he's not always so lucky. Since he often appear in an unknown block with no money or clothes. For existence, he has to learn to steal what he needs, fight when he has to. A 24-year-old time traveling version of Henry even takes advantage of a visit to his 5-year-old counterpart to impart lessons in the art of pick pocketing. Consequently, Henry plays two parts in his life, one is a gentle librarian, and the other is a time-traveling thug.
At age 28, Henry has just begun to accept the prospect of a life spent traveling through time with no apparent cause, unable to form any lasting bonds with those in his present (or past), when he meets beautiful art student Clare (who has been waiting since age 6 to meet Henry). Theirs is an unforgettably poignant love story told through shifting non-linear time periods. They make the most of the time they spend together and suffer miserably when Henry's condition forces them apart. With Clare's urging, Henry seeks medical help and is eventually directed to Dr. Kendrick who diagnoses Henry but is unable to help him. When after a series of miscarriages Clare gives birth to a daughter named Alba, who inherits the CDD gene, Kendrick thinks he may finally be on the path to a cure. After Henry makes a rare and frightening trip into the future, he desperately needs to believe that this will happen --- and soon.
Henry’s life is somehow like a joke from God. He is a traveler that never has any mind about when he will set off, what the destination is or how long the trip will be. His life is full of the unknown which always push him to the brink of breakdown. However, his unknown time journey on the other hand can give him some sort of comfort that he can see even talk with his deceased mother. It is his time traveling that gives a chance to get acquainted with his true love, Clare.
Time arranged the encounter between Henry and Clare. That day in the meadow 36-year-old version of Henry run into little Clare’s life as a result of one time travel. He opened the door of a little girl’s heart and left a seed in the girl’s mind. That day is the day when Clare began to wait. Clare waited Henry when she was only 6 years old. So I can image how exciting and movable Clare was, when 20-year-old Clare met the Henry who never knew about her. Then she married him, becoming the wife of time traveler, a man never know where he will be. She chose Henry means she chose to wait.
He left his wife time and time again while she spent all her life waiting for him. He will never die in her life for she can meet Henry with different ages. He always made her wait but give her endless expectation. What makes the love shining in space-time? What encouraged them to challenge mysterious destiny? What takes time’s power when it encounters love? The experience of the couple is a sacred song for love. It’s a incredible journey beyond normal people’s imagination. This book is a science fiction but give out the smell of a poem. It seems like a romantic story but is full of philosophy of space-time.
If life is a journey, Henry’s journey is filled with much more unknown and difficulties than others. He can travel time but he never masters time. Fortunately, Henry has a daughter who succeeds his gene which allows her travel time, but is able to master her time. The cute girl can face his father’s death quietly and talk with his younger version of father. Life is fair, so Henry get more love from his family while lost a normal life.
THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE tells us true love will never beaten by time or other difficulties. If one loves another, if necessary, he or she will choose to wait for their true love. Although in real world no one can travel time, the novel reflects the real world and real love. In fact, the novel gives us a lesson about love in a different way.
THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE is a highly original work from a seriously talented author. Niffenegger weaves her timelines with ease, never confusing the reader or leaving loose ends. She more than earns her place as a writer to watch.
