For those of you who have not read The Time Traveler’s Wife, it is a twist on a traditional love story. Henry, a librarian, has a rare genetic disorder which causes him to involuntarily travel through time. Unlike most love stories, on a normal day Henry meets Clare for his first time. The difference is that Clare has known Henry since she was a child. After they form a relationship, Henry starts traveling back in time and visiting Clare as a child. The book is these two characters’ experiences with time travel and how they came to meet and how the relationship develops into love.
Surprisingly this was one of my favourite books a couple of years ago. Although I do not often read romance stories, I felt compelled to read this because of the many positive reviews and it is not a decision which I regret. I found the book well written, easy to read and addictive. Once you start to read the book properly, it is very difficult to put down.
When I discovered that a film had been released, I was excited to see how it would turn out. Unfortunately, the film does no justice to the book whatsoever. The love story in the book engages the reader as it takes you through all the significant events in the relationship. The film struggled to show the depth of this relationship and how Clare eventually begins to fall in love with Henry as she ages and matures. One thing which is usually said about the book is that the ending is very upsetting. Although it is not a happy ending (one which I will not spoil here) it does provide a perfect closing point for the book, something which can be difficult to do in literature. Instead the film changes the ending and rewrites its own version. In my opinion, this does not provide the same closure which the book does. It seems rushed and not well thought-out and to use the book ending would not have been too much hassle. Why Niffenegger approved it still confuses me.
In conclusion I would recommend this book. Although some people are not impressed with it, the vast majority of reviews are positive. If romance novels are not something which you would normally read, believe me, you would still enjoy this book. Although it is about the relationship development it does feel like the literature version of How I Met Your Mother, a love story in reverse. If you do read the book, don’t be tempted by the film. It takes away all imagination and is no replacement for reading the story itself.