by Audrey NiffeneggerA few years ago I read Song for the Basilisk by Patricia McKillip. I enjoyed it, but it was the most emotionally exhausting book I had ever read, and it was a long time before I could pick it up again.
Time Traveler's Wife was more draining, which I didn't think was possible. I don't mean to say this is a bad thing. I connected with the characters on a much deeper level than I have in quite a while. I actually got so caught up in the story that I felt disconnected from my own life. Generally love stories aren't my favorite, but this - this was worth reading. It was worth all the emotional energy that I put into it, and worth having to dash off for some tissues for the last section of the book. The ending was beautifully built up to. It probably wouldn't have had the impact it did if the rest of the book hadn't been so exquisitely well-written.
I don't think I'll read anything else by Niffenegger, not because I dislike her writing but because I enjoy this particular piece of writing so much.
To echo a recent review, read it if you're married.
2 comments:
So I have to say I LOVED TTW as well. It was an amazing love story.
I was outraged to discover that many libraries classify it as Science Fiction. (!!)
What is there sciencey about the fiction here? This lead to the realization that I'd wish libraries would stop genre-izing things completely. I always end up thinking that the library doesn't stock any science fiction, before coming to the late realization that it's all been sequestered in some dingy corner of the library, as if reading science fiction was something grownups wouldn't stoop to...
In any case, TTW is decidedly not science fiction. It's just good fiction. =)
i'm so glad you like it. i understand about being too emotionally involved - i was obsessed for a couple days AFTER reading it. i couldn't focus on anything else. and i'm flattered to be echoed!
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