Blake Crouch’s Recursion absorbed me in a way few science-fiction books have. It is well written, moves quickly and becomes increasingly complicated, yet it always makes sense. The story never feels as though it is becoming complex simply to confuse the reader. Its logic holds together, which is especially important in a novel about time travel.
The story begins with people suddenly remembering lives they have never lived. New York detective Barry Sutton encounters this strange phenomenon through one of his cases, while neuroscientist Helena Smith is conducting research connected with memory. It is difficult to say much more without giving away discoveries that are much better experienced while reading the book.
The characters are one of the reasons the story works so well. Barry and Helena are fully developed and likable, and their motives are always understandable. Their decisions come from recognizable emotions and personal experiences, which makes it possible to sympathize with them even when their actions have serious consequences. The novel does not depend only on an interesting scientific idea. It also gives the reader people worth caring about.
Crouch’s approach to time travel feels fresh and very different from the usual version of characters simply entering a machine and appearing in another period. He connects time with memory in a way that made me think about the idea long after I had finished reading. As the story develops, the concept becomes more complex, but every new development follows logically from what has already been established. Crouch does not abandon his own rules when they become inconvenient.
My only real criticism concerns an early moment involving Helena. She recognizes that her work may carry a serious danger and reaches an important decision very quickly. The decision itself is not the problem, and her concern is understandable. What feels abrupt is the lack of attention given to how she reaches that conclusion. Crouch moves almost immediately from her realization to her response without showing enough of the thoughts in between.
I would have liked to see more of what Helena imagined might happen, which particular consequences frightened her and how she came to understand the seriousness of the danger so quickly. This did not require a long explanation or additional scientific detail. Even a few paragraphs showing more of her reasoning would have made the transition feel natural. The problem is not what she decides, but that the reader is not allowed to follow her fully as she arrives at that decision.
This is a relatively small issue in a book that otherwise held my attention completely. I do not remember the last time a science-fiction novel absorbed me this much. Recursion combines a fresh idea, likable characters and a complicated plot that remains logical from beginning to end. It is now one of my favorite science-fiction books.
