The Time Travellers Wife - Anybody Read It?

Contains 'spoiler' - Don't Look if You Are Intending to Read The Book

[markd]

Just finished it as a holiday read and thoroughly enjoyed it (with more than a tinge of sadness at the ending).

Has anybody read the book?

If so, I thought I would like to run a couple of things by you which are bothering me about the last part of the book and how Henry could have avoided his fate...

ps. I mean this in the context of other events in the book, not on a 'philosophical'/time travel paradox basis :)

[Allybongo839]

Hi

Sorry, only just read your post. I have read the book twice and absolutely loved it :)

Feel free to run some stuff by me, I too found the book totally intriguing if a little confusing at times!

Ally :)

[markd]

Thanks Ally - I thought this was going to be a 'nil return' thread...

I too loved the book and admit to more than one tear at the ending. But, here's a couple of points for your thoughts:

1. You may remember that Henry 'challenged' Clare to put a date on the picture she drew of him when in her teenage years. He did this as in 'the present day' the picture was undated and he wanted to see if the past could be changed. Subsequently, Clare didn't do this for fear of changing what was still to be the future. Therefore, the premise of being able to change the events of the future from 'the past' was never tested. If Henry knew he was going to die, and the knew the manner of his death, wouldn't he have tested this to the full? This could have applied both in the incident where he 'froze' (and lost his feet) and in the actual shooting accident which caused this death in the 'past'.
There was an overriding air of 'fatalism' about the book, but I sure would have tried to stay with Clare and tested the theory to avoid the manner of my own death!

2. After he 'died', Henry was able to pass through time and spend quality time with Alba on many occasions. Knowing how he and Clare meticulously planned their time together pre Henry's death, don't you think it strange that Henry and Alba didn't have a plan to contact Clare the minute they found themselves in the same 'time' - particularly as they seemed to be very close to their family home?

The thought of Clare waiting until she was 82 to see Henry again was just sooo sad! I thought the book was great.
I guess the above just shows the impact good literature has on ones' mind - in that you start to analyse the possible actions of fictional characters - I must get out more often :)

ps. If made into a film (minus J Anniston and B Pitt - not appropriate at all), who do you see in the main roles. I think that Lauren Ambrose who plays (coincidentally) 'Clare' in Six Feet Under would be a great Clare, but I can't 'cast' Henry in my mind - maybe Ralph Finnes?

Look forward to your thoughts - glad I found someone else who read and like the book.

[spharalsia]

Say, I read this book as a holiday read, too, and thoroughly enjoyed it...until I saw where it was heading. I almost never do this, but rather than go through the agony of reading about Clare and Henry being torn apart, I quit reading the book. Sorry, I know that's lame of me, but I was just WAY too attached to the characters by the time I figured out that Henry was going to die. I began reading this last Christmas, and what with the tsunami in the background and other sad events locally, I guess I just figured I was seeing too much sadness in real life to subject myself to more of it in my fiction....

All the same, I thought it was a great read. As for your first question, didn't he sort of test that when the two Henrys were in the same room as teenagers, and the father walks in, and the "younger" Henry berates the "older" Henry for not warning him about what was going to happen, but Henry found it physically impossible to warn his past self about what was going to happen?

Beyond the issue of why he didn't try to test the possibility of changing the future, I thought he seemed very weirdly resigned to his fate -- especially in that heart-stopping scene in the museum where he realizes, through his daughter, that he has died. I thought the lack of any substantial emotional reaction on his part was a little odd.

As for who should play the role of Henry...how about Christopher Eccleston...? ;)

[markd]

You're right I had forgotten about the 'incident' with the two younger Henry's. At the risk of answering my own question, Henry always seemed more concerned about trying to change the future from the past and the potential consequences of this (mainly not meeting Clare) than the fate that awaited him if he didn't try. As he continually revisited the death of his mother and was convinced he couldn't (or didn't want to) prevent it, I suppose he felt his own fate was sealed. He even had a converstation with Clare about the prospect of 'chaos' if he could influence the future from past events, as opposed to the 'order' provided by the future being set in stone and simply fulfilling his pre-determined destiny. Maybe he prefered to spend the time he had with Clare than try and save himself and not meet her at all - the essence of a true love story?

Still don't know about not having a plan to contact Clare when he met Alba though..

Good suggestion on Christopher Eccleston, however the book mentions him having 'slavish' dark looks. To me, Henry was the type of character which, if I met him in real life, I'm not sure I would like. There seemed to be a contradiction in his character of being quite cold and ruthless (a requirement of his 'life' as a time traveller) but on the other hand warm, sensitive and sentimental. Again, the essence of good characters in literature.

Thanks for your thoughts.