by Audrey Niffenegger, 2003
Clare waits for Henry, her time-traveling husband, never knowing when he’ll disappear or reappear. Clare always drives because Henry doesn’t-never knows when he’ll disappear. Henry cooks-Clare doesn’t know how since she had a cook, Nell, while growing up (rich girl). Henry recruits Dr. Kendrick, a geneticist, to try and find a cure for his time-traveling, a genetic disorder, because he’s sure it’s going to kill him, and after they have Alba, and she has inherited it, he wants to save her from a life of time traveling.
Henry first appears to Clare in the meadow by her house when she is 6 and he is 36. He’s naked and hides and she throws her shoe at him but then a beach towel when he won’t come out. He tells her all about her, that he’s a time-traveler and in the future they are friends. He tells her the next time they will meet. He looks at her penmanship-asks her to bring clothes down here for next time. Before that she gives him a Hershey bar because he’s so hungry when he time travels. She says he eats like a dog. Henry gives her a list of dates so she knows when he will be there in the meadow. She makes a room in the basement called the Reading Room for when he appears in winter. He never touches her; he loves her and treats her like a little sister. Beats up the high school boy who abuses her when she’s in H.S. He’s like her knight in shining armor, her prince charming. In real time, Henry is a librarian at Newberry Library in Chicago. That’s a place without chaos, with order and predictability, structure and quiet. His mother dies in a horrible car accident when Henry is 5. They are in the car together on an icy road. The piece of metal that comes through the windshield kills his mom but he time-travels and is found naked by the side of the road unharmed. His Dad never really recovers from the loss of Annette. She was an opera singer-beautiful and talented. Henry revisits the accident over and over in his time travels so he knows exactly what happened. He has a hard time on Christmas Eves until he meets Clare in the real-time and can spend them with her.
The book skips from real time for Henry and Clare (they are 8 years apart and meet in Henry’s real time life when Clare is 20 and he is 28.) By that time, Clare has not seen Henry for 2 years, since she was 18. Henry has never seen her at age 28. He doesn’t see her for the first time until he’s 36. Clare knows all about him when they meet in Henry’s real time – knows they will marry-She’s been waiting for him for 2 years and finally finds him at the library.
After they are married, Clare wants a child so she can always have a piecce of Henry with her. They have 6 miscarriages before #7, Alba, is born. A very, very trying time for both of them. It turns out Alba time-travels too. One day when she is 3, her 7 year-old self time-travels and they are playing together in the backyard. Henry and Clare take them both out for ice cream. Alba, 7 years old, knows that Henry has died and Henry tells her not to tell them.
Henry’s death: He time-travels to the meadow at the age of 43, back to 1984, and Phillip (Clare’s Dad) and Mark (her brother) are hunting deer. They shoot Henry when he suddenly appears-thinking he is a deer. That kills him but he time travels back to real time, 1/1/2007, and dies in the living room of their home during a New Year’s Eve party. Clare never really recovers. He writes her a letter before then, knowing he will die, and tells her to go on with her life. He will see her one last time in 2053, when she’s 82. She lives, waiting for that day. What a suspenseful, superbly written story!
One of my favorite parts is after they are married living in a small flat, Henry realizes Clare needs a studio to do her art – paper making – giant sculptures. He time-travels to the future to get winning lottery numbers. They win 8 million, go shopping for houses. They look through about 20 houses. Henry walks in-directly to the back of each house, peers out the back window and shakes his head at Clare. Clare inspects each one thoroughly. She decides to find out what Henry’s doing – “What the hell,” I ask politely, “are you doing?” He’s seen their home-to-be and it has Clare’s studio in he backyard – a brick building. He describes it to Clare. She eventually finds the home.
Other characters in the book:
Gomez-chain smoking young activist lawyer – in love with Clare but marries Charisse. They have 3 kids. He helps Henry and Clare immensely throughout the book.
Kimy – Korean lady that cares for Henry and his Dad, Richard.
Dr. Kendrick – geneticist who tries to find a cure.
Celia – lesbian black woman who loves Ingrid, Henry’s girlfriend before Clare. She ends up committing suicide because Henry no longer sees her after he meets Clare.
Alba-time-traveling daughter of Henry and Clare.
Alicia – Clare’s younger sister – cello player.
Roberto – Henry’s boss at the library. Finally finds out Henry’s a time-traveler when Henry has time-traveled to the Cage – a room in the stairwell of the library that has no door, and the real Henry shows up for work and interrupts Roberto and time-traveling Henry in the cage. (Wild!)
Matt – Henry’s co-worker at the liberary who is always finding Henry’s pile of clothes or naked Henry in the stacks and finally finds out the truth on the Cage day also.
Henry spends the last few months of his life w/o feet. He time traveled to a freezing cold parking garage, got frostbite and ended up having to have them amputated.