The Time Traveler's Wife

While I liked this novel, I'm not sure why it made this list. My guess is that it was a bestseller when the list was created. If this list was updated today, it would probably be replaced with Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin or Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Regardless, it is on the list and I enjoyed it. I'm glad that I read this book in late college. If I had read it in an earlier time in my life, I don't think I would have cared about the characters or plot as much. What interested me the most about the themes of this novel was the battle between Fate and Free will that enters discussion whenever time travel is mentioned.

This book tells the story of two lovers, Henry and Clare. Clare in "normal" but Henry is a time traveller. The majority of the argument between Fate and Free will is expressed through Henry and Clare. Clare just sees the time travelling from her point of view. Therefore, she believes that everything is Fate. She believes that because Henry has already seen things in the future, they are not subject to change.

For the most part, Henry agrees with her. The majority of his character growth comes from the resolution of his fight against Fate. When he is younger, he constantly tries to change the outcome of certain events. But as he gets older, he realizes that he is just an observer in the past because it has already happened. He tells himself, "I was just talking about that with a self from 1992... he thinks that there is only free will when you are in time, in the present. He says in the past we can only do what we did, and we can only be there if we were there". But as he gets older, he realizes that he has to treat life as if he has Free will every moment. That's when you get to choose and you are conscious of the consequences of your actions.

Overall, I liked this book. It is beautifully written and it is interesting to see their love develop from two perspectives and two timelines. But the characters are a little vanilla and bland. Henry and Clare have just enough complexity to move the story along occasionally and not a whit more. I might reread this book one day, but it won't be for several years.