Recursion

Blake Crouch
Star Rating
★★★★
Reviewer's Rating
Sep 30, 2019

Recursion occurs when a thing is defined in terms of itself or of its type.  --Wikipedia

I first heard about this book on NPR and was intrigued enough to immediately put it on my holds list.  You can find out more about how to make your own holds list here. Let me just say that this book did not disappoint!

Memory makes reality.  That's the tag line of the latest thriller by Blake Crouch.  Memory also makes you who you are.  Remembering what you learned in school, a moment from childhood, your favorite Christmas, your first kiss; but what if what you remember isn't real? 

Who hasn't wanted to go back in time to change something big or small?  The ability to go back in time and stop a war from starting, prevent a disaster, or to even remember to set your alarm so you weren't late to work?  We've all wished for a do over at some point.  Sometimes do overs have unintended consequences.  Sometimes the best of intentions can lead to a dark and scary place.

Dr. Helena Smith, a neuroscientist is committed to find a way to preserve memories.  This work isn't just about helping people with memory related issues, but more importantly, to help her Mother who is suffering the effects of dementia and Alzheimer's.  This is her life's work and her focus is absolute.  She doesn't realize the consequences of what happens when something built with good intentions falls into the wrong hands.

Barry Sutton is a New York City cop who is still dealing with the sudden death of his daughter 11 years ago and the divorce that came shortly after.  A case involving False Memory Syndrome (FMS) leads him on the quest of a lifetime.  

Told from both Barry and Helena's perspective, this book is a real page turner.  I could not wait to find out what happened next.  Though this book is very different, it did make me think of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and to a certain degree, Memento.  If you haven't seen either of these trippy memory related movies, I highly recommend them!  

 

Reviewed by Heather C
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