Recursion by Blake Crouch
Publisher: Crown
Release Date: June 11, 2019
Length: 336 pages
Amazon

{A Bit of Backstory}

Single Sentence Summary

Through timeline after timeline, both memory and time itself become fluid constructs making the world an ever more dangerous place to be.

From the Publisher

“Memory makes reality. That’s what New York City cop Barry Sutton is learning as he investigates the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome—a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived.

Neuroscientist Helena Smith already understands the power of memory. It’s why she’s dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious moments of our pasts. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent.”

The Draw

• The right time for a good sci-fi thriller.
• The ability to remake memories.
• I missed Crouch’s widely praised debut, Dark Matter.

{My Thoughts}

How best to categorize Recursion, the widely touted new book from Blake Crouch? Reading his story is a little like going to a tapas bar when you’re not really sure what you feel like eating. There, you can get a little bit of everything and leave feeling satisfied. The same can be said of Recursion. It’s definitely a whole lot of sci-fi, but also much more. Crouch skillfully wove in a little adventure, a big load of thriller, and even some romance into his sophomore effort.

I appreciated the variety Crouch offered up in his story, but we simply must begin with the memory/time travel at its core. Neuroscientist Helena Smith put her life into creating a machine through which people with Alzheimer’s (like her own mother) might be able to relive some of the memories they’d so tragically lost. As we might expect, her breakthrough doesn’t stay quietly within the scientific community, but is co-opted for money and power by a multitude of groups.

From there Recursion really takes off, growing and splitting as Helena’s machine is used over and over, layering on timeline after timeline. Without any sort of dynamic road map, I wasn’t always positive I was on the path Crouch intended. And yet, time after time I found that I really was. Even better, I enjoyed the adventure and sense of disequilibrium created as timelines lapped and overlapped each other. I know some might find this confusing, but honestly, this is a story where every piece doesn’t need to fit together perfectly to realize the bigger picture. The fracturing works because the idea of time being a construct that may not be static became both fascinating and scary.

If you’re unsure what you’re hungering for this summer, but are ready for something a little bit different and a whole lot of fun, you need to pick up Recursion. You’ll get a taste of a future we may never want to reach. Grade: B+

If you liked this book you might also enjoy:

• Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong – Another daughter trying to deal with the onset of Alzheimer’s in her mother, but in a very different way. (my review)
• Foe by Iain Reid – In a very different world, a husband is chosen to travel far into space, leaving his wife behind on their farm with his “replacement,” (my review)

Note: I received a copy of this book from Crown (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Associate links included within this post