* I am stating this upfront: I AM NOT ROMANTIC. With the exception of Dirty Dancing, The Notebook, and A Love Story, I have not encountered a love story that I did not find utterly ridiculous and this was not an exception.*
The story starts off with six year old Clare. She meets a naked 20 something year old Henry in a field. He tells her that he is a time traveler and that she will be his wife in the future. He continues to visit her over the course of her life, in which she ages chronologically but he comes in various ages sometimes in his 20’s, 30’s or 40’s, and each time he tells her about how they are going to be together in the future.
When Clare finally meets the Henry she will meet him when they are the same age but he won’t know who she is. It is not until she starts telling him about how he used to visit her as a little girl that he decides to go back in time to see what she is talking about. He has to go backwards to understand her moving forward. It is semi – confusing as he is always trying to catch up with her past. They get together, get married, have a child and he eventually dies as she grows old.
Typical romance novel dribble.
Here are my issues with the book:
The story starts off with six year old Clare. She meets a naked 20 something year old Henry in a field. He tells her that he is a time traveler and that she will be his wife in the future. He continues to visit her over the course of her life, in which she ages chronologically but he comes in various ages sometimes in his 20’s, 30’s or 40’s, and each time he tells her about how they are going to be together in the future.
When Clare finally meets the Henry she will meet him when they are the same age but he won’t know who she is. It is not until she starts telling him about how he used to visit her as a little girl that he decides to go back in time to see what she is talking about. He has to go backwards to understand her moving forward. It is semi – confusing as he is always trying to catch up with her past. They get together, get married, have a child and he eventually dies as she grows old.
Typical romance novel dribble.
Here are my issues with the book:
- He screwed her over. He starts visiting her from childhood telling her about this great love that they are going to share and how they are meant to be together. Because of this she basically gives up on love. She doesn’t date, have any other romantic relationships (except for the one night stand that she has with her best friend’s boyfriend), she just sits around waiting for him to materialize. Literally.
- While she was waiting, he was out sleeping with other women, having relationships and experiences that Clare never experienced all because he didn't dedicate his life to her until after he met her.
- He is perfect. I hate this description. No one is perfect. The reason he is perfect is because she doesn’t know any one else.
- All she does is wait. She spends 75% of the book waiting for him. Her adolescent and young adult years are spent waiting for them to meet. Her married years are spent waiting for him to appear whenever he disappears. After his death she spends the rest of her adulthood waiting for him to reappear one last time. She doesn’t enjoy life because she is forever waiting.
I found the entire novel depressing and sad.
