Title: The Time Traveler's Wife Author: Audrey Niffenegger Pages: 560 Publisher: MacAdam/Cage Publishing ISBN: 015602943X Genre: Fiction Synopsis: Henry DeTamble met his wife, Clare, when he was 28 and she was 20. Clare first met Henry when she was 6 and he was 36. Henry is a time traveler, but he has no control over where or when he travels to. He has no choice in when he will time travel and he can take nothing with him, not even the clothes he is wearing. Henry learned to pick locks and steal at an early age to survive these jumps. He has seen his mother's gruesome death from every angle, found himself in sub-zero temperatures naked and un-protected, and been chased down and beaten by police and thugs. No matter how hard he tries there isn't a single event, past, present, or future that he can change. Clare has known most of her life about Henry. She has loved him all her life. Her childhood is measured and defined by his appearences. She finds herself continuously abandoned by him, worrying over his safety, wondering if he will return alive. And then there is the fact that she has never seen a version of Henry older than 43. As time spins ever closer to this dreaded date, Henry and Clare are left to wonder whether it heralds a cure for Henry's condition, or a fatal end to his travels. Review: The story told in this book is one of the sweetest I've ever read. Even with the twist of time travel the tale is almost mundane, yet Niffenegger writes it in a captivating manner. In terms of the story alone this is one of the best written books I have ever read. However, I don't think I'll ever buy a copy of this book. Readers should be warned that this novel is quite crass. The author seems to be playing with the Freudian id versus super-ego. Most, if not all of the characters are well educated. Literature and art are frequent topics. At the same time most characters have a history of drugs, alcohol, and sexually immoral behavior. Many jokes are made regarding sex and the language is aweful. What worries me most is the possibility that there are many people out there that are like these people. A mild example of a bad situation involes a doctor who chain smokes while with his paitents. Even if those patients are pregnant women or small children. Another involves a friend to Henry and Clare who is waiting for Henry to die in the hopes that he can then leave his wife and children for Clare. At this point I don't know that I would recommend this book to anyone. We can now get edited movies. If an edited copy of this book were to come out I would slap five stars on it and recommend it to all my friends. But as things stand now, the language and sexuality are just too over the top to justify reading this book for the story. Copywrite 2005. If you have problems with this site, please contact the webmaster. Posted 04 April 2006.