Time Traveler’s Wife

A Love that transcends time and death

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The book I read last is ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’ by Audrey Niffenegger. It’s a strange love story of Henry DeTamble and Clare Abshire. Henry is a victim of a strange genetic disorder called "Chromo-Impairment" which causes him to time travel. He doesn’t have any control over the time or the destination or the duration of his travels. The genetic disorder causes him to time travel spontaneously when he is stressed out or tired, physically or emotionally.

As a rule of time traveling, Henry cannot take anything with him other than his body. He lands naked and bare footed. He explains the sensation of time travel as of epilepsy and it makes him hungry. So Henry masters the arts of stealing and breaking into places necessary for his survival.

Most of Henry’s visits were to his past where he witnesses the accident which took his mother away or the visits to a museum with his parents. And on one of his travels he meets his future wife Clare Abshire. Clare is from a rich family living in a large house. She is fond of a clearing of land in the middle of the meadow where she spends her time playing. On one fine day, when Clare is in the clearing, Henry lands in front of her stark naked… Henry is 28 and Clare is 6…

Eric BanaImage Courtesy: mystuffandcrp.blogspot.com

Clare is fascinated by the stranger who gives her glimpses of her future. Henry gives her a list of dates on which he will be appearing from the future. Clare keeps this as her secret and she waits expectantly for Henry on the dates he has given. She keeps a box of clothes and shoes hidden for him under a rock in the clearing. She gets so obsessed with her strange companion that she tends to ignore boyfriends at school and spends a lot of time by her own. At her 18th birthday they part knowing that they would be meeting only after 2 years and in the present. Henry tells her he is her future husband.

After 2 years, Clare meets Henry in the future as a librarian but Henry is completely ignorant of her or their meetings in the meadow because the Henry who came to visit Clare is still in the future and the present Henry is not aware of this. But Clare is foretold by Henry about this and she patiently fills Henry with their story. For the first time, Clare is the future teller. Later the book reveals their struggle to lead a normal life and their struggle to overcome his condition.

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The novel at its heart is not about the fiction or technicalities of time travel or Henry’s disorder. The core of this novel is the relationship of Henry and Clare. It circles around their life, friends, families and passion. Once you are fully engrossed in the book you can feel their joy, their pain and their desperation. The narration is on a normal pace without much twists and turns. The talent of the author lies in making an unrealistic theme like time travel in a way that seems pretty real and possible. Her writing style is simple which helps in telling a story which would have become extremely complicated to convey. She overcomes the inherent difficulties of narrating a story with numerous time swaps. To add to the complexity the story is narrated through the eyes of both Clare and Henry. But Niffenegger seamlessly rides over these difficulties with consummate ease.

Though Henry can be there in the past, he cannot change anything. And at many instances we can feel the pain in knowing it in advance and incapable of changing it. That makes it different from the usual science fiction novel. By concentrating instead on the emotional struggles of the chief characters Niffenegger brings a delightful human touch to the story.

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Time Traveler’s wife is a thoroughly enjoyable read for all those who have romance in their hearts. It is tale of love that transcends time and death and which will move you for sure. I am even looking forward to its movie version set to star Eric Bana and Rache McAdams.

Kite Runner - Book Review

Kite Runner

Author : Khaled Hosseini.

Once in while you come across a story that stays imprinted in your mind long after you have read it. Kite Runner brings out the various complexities of human emotions that pull a string in your heart. It’s a story about friendship. It’s a story about human relationships. It’s a story about courage in the face of adversities and above all a story about guilt and redemption.

Amir, the protagonist of the novel lives in San Francisco and is remembering his childhood in Kabul in the 1970s. The story begins in pre-civil war Afghanistan where his most cherished memories were those of his friendship with his Hazara (a Mongol race in Afghanistan) servant boy Hassan. Amir discovers he has a skill for literature while narrating the stories that he makes up to Hassan, during their times spent together. A trait he has inherited from his deceased mother. However this displeases his father who wants him to be manlier. His Baba (father) realizes that Amir is more or less a coward. He notices that even while playing with the neighborhood boys Amir constantly requires Hassan to save his skin.

When Amir composes his first story his father takes absolutely no interest in it. Hoever he finds in Rahim Khan, Baba’s friend, a mentor and a friend. Amir on his part starts feeling insecure and begins to resent Hassan, whom Baba seems to love as much as himself if not more. Hassan too is motherless as his mother Sanouber, a local beauty, had run off with a group of gypsies abandoning him and his father Ali.

The chief tormentor of both Hassan and Amir is Aseef, an older boy in the same neighbourhood. Assef is a sociopath and take sadistic pleasure in tormenting Hazaras whom he considers to be an inferior race. On one such occasion of bullying by Aseef, Hassan stands up to him. Hassan in doing so saves both himself and Amir from certain physical harm as the bully is forced to back down. But not before an enraged Aseef vows revenge on Hassan.

The fateful day comes during the day of the Kite-Fights, a traditional sport in Afghanistan. On that day several kite flyers gather at a large ground, cheered on by the whole neighborhood, and try to cut each others kite in their flight. Each flyer has a designated Kite-Runner who gets the fallen kites and can keep it as a trophy with the last fallen kite being the most prestigious. Amir chooses Hassan as his Kite-Runner due to his ability to always know where the kite would land. Amir wins the contest and gains respect in the eyes of his father. To complete the joy he sends Hassan to get the last fallen kite.

When Hassan does not return even after the normally required time Amir goes in search of him. He finds Hassan trapped by Aseef and two henchmen. Instead going to his help Amir choses to hide and watch the whole gruesome act that follows. Hassan is brutalized and sexually abused. When Amir meets up with Hassan again he acts as if nothing has happened and also as is he doesn’t know anything.

However Amir is racked by guilt and he thinks that the solution would be to get rid of Hassan from his house. He frames an innocent Hassan with a crime he has not committed. Even though his Baba refuses to send them out, Hassan and Ali leave on their own.

However fate isn’t too kind to Amir either. He and his Baba are forced to flee from Afghanistan and seek asylum in the US. There Amir begins his career as a writer. There he finds the love of his life Soraya and marries her right before his Baba passes away. All the while Amir suffers from the guilt of what he had done to Hassan.

Then one day he gets a letter from Rahim Khan asking him to come to Pakistan to meet him. He tells him what has happened of Hassan and gives him a chance at redemption. What has happened of Hassan? Will Amir be able to redeem himself of his guilt? The answers to these form the rest of the story.

Kite Runner is an excellent novel by a debutant writer. You never feel that it is a debut effort. The narrative flows seamlessly and book is definitely a page turner. The book actually transports you to Afghanistan and gives you a bird’s eye view of the political upheavals in the country over 3 decades. From the first coup of the nation, to the soviet invasion, to the Taliban. It opens a window into the race and class conflicts between the Pushtuns and the Hazaras. It opens up the erstwhile unknown (at least to me) culture and traditions of Afghanistan.

The overwhelming theme of the book is guilt and redemption. Almost all the characters are seen suffering from guilt and attempts at redemption in one way or the other. Amir suffers the guilt of what he had done to Hassan. Baba suffers the guilt of betraying his friend. Even Rahim Khan, Sanouber and Soraya all suffer from guilt in one form or the other and all of them find redemption in one way or the other. The only two character set in white and black are Hassan and Aseef respectively. The rest are all colored in grey which lends natural authenticity them.

Both political and personal conflicts run parallel in the novel. This is very significant as one usually affects the other. The novel is also about peace and how we destroy whatever is precious to us in trying to attain it.

Overall, it’s a wonderful first attempt by a debutant writer. It is a must read as it will amaze you with its simplicity, mesmerize you with its plot and definitely will tug a string somewhere in your heart with the various human emotions that are played out.


Rating: 4.5/5