John Wray (1) (1971–)

3.4999 stars.

This is a "literary novel" in the sci-fi genre and has all the depth and insight and beautiful writing that you'd hope from a literary novel. That said... something about it left me... unhappy? unsatisfied? This might be because there was never any "sci-fi" payoff. Ultimately, the story collapses down to just one man, his history, his mind; very "literary."

But the plot topic (or, just about, device) of time travel, or physics somewhat more generally, just begs for a grander resolution. I think that is the source of the... unfulfilled... feeling: I, at least, am convinced that the whole thing just was in Waldy's head, that, as "the Kraut" said, its all just because his whole family is simply mentally ill, that calling it "the syndrome" was foreshadowing, and I'm not sure I'm cool with that after 500 pages.

There is definitely a lot here: history, personal and otherwise, and its weight, guilt, shame, narcissism and selfishness, escapism (including, maybe, into madness), questions of (historical) culpability/responsibility, madness itself, all with a bit of physics and metaphysics. That *almost*, just about, makes this 4 stars for me. But all those same things end up bogging the story down, and, again, at 500 pages, it just didn't have the payoff I needed.… (plus d'informations)