I’m going to add Emily St. John Mandel to the list of authors I read obsessively. Each one I read always seems to be better than the last. Some authors with this many books under their belt often forget how important it is to be merciless during editing.
This is one of those books that my wife (along with the Matt Smith) would probably describe as “a bit Sea timey-whimey”.
The book follows the circular rise and fall of Gaspery Jacques-Roberts, a fecklessly unremarkable individual with a high-achieving sister, Zoey. Through his sister’s connection with the Time Institute, and following a rigorous five-year training programme, Gaspery graduates as a field operative: entrusted to travel through time, correcting anomalies that could impact the Institute’s agenda.
The rules of time-travel are strict, and punishment for breaking those rules are harsh and permanent, and that, for Gaspery, is where the trouble starts. …
Another complex and enjoyable title from this author, which she manages to tie in nicely with one of her earlier works, The Glass Hotel.
The book is a great example of light literary fiction. It’s engaging, extremely well-written, with rich characters with complete back stories and emotional depth. At the same time, it’s a real page-turner I think I devoured the whole thing in about three days, which is pretty solid going for me. What really surprised me about the book — it was genuinely funny, which the author skilfully blended with moments of poignancy. All this, and she still managed to keep the writing tight and relevant. Not a single word wasted. You don’t get any description of the devices the Institute uses to meander around the time stream, but that’s fine; it’s not needed. The focus is on the people and the story — as it should be.