I'm aware that there's reason to consider The Time Traveler's Wife as literary fiction primarily and romance as secondary, but with how important the romance aspect is to the story, I don't feel that it's unfair to still call it a romance novel.
With other genres, I've often found that I can dislike the main character(s) and still really enjoy the story overall as long as the surrounding plot around those characters is engaging or interesting.
The idea of The Time Traveler's Wife IS incredibly interesting, which is exactly why I gave the novel a shot per recommendation from a family member. I'm not typically a romance reader, so I've not really developed "my taste" for what factors should or shouldn't be present to ensure that it will be worth my time to read. But with that being said, TTW made one thing perfectly clear.
I NEED to be able to like at least one of the two characters in the romance in order to enjoy the story in a meaningful way. And man, I really did not like Henry nor Clare. Don't get me wrong, I'm aware that they both have some extremely relatable qualities which can be helpful for many people to craft an emotional attachment to at least one if not both of them. But after reading the story and realizing that I would want absolutely no part in being friends with either of them, a lot of the romance of the story just simply fell on deaf ears.
And I don't even really have beef with the main thing that people dislike about Henry when it comes to his presence/impact in her life as a minor. To me I simply write that off on the level of "it's a story, and there's supposed to be moral complexity/gray areas by design."
Maybe I'm just cynical, but any romance of this story is simply lost on me. I see where it's SUPPOSED to be, but without an ability to feel attached to Henry nor Clare, it just falls so flat. Where many people seem to feel crushed/heartbroken by the ending, my reaction to finishing it was more along the lines of, "yep… checks out," and nothing more.
At the end of the day I DO still think the idea of the story is interesting, and it carried my ability to power through this book. But to say I actually enjoyed the read itself would be about equally genuine as it is disingenuous.
by PsyferRL
5 Comments
Oh thank God, I thought you were about to explain how The Time Traveler’s Wife taught you something positive from their romance.
I don’t read a lot of romance oriented novels, so your stance is likely valid on likability being imperative.
Regardless, I found Henry very sympathetic and his emotional vulnerabilities were directly tied into the sci-fi aspect of the story (a necessity for mixed genre). Romantic love being fated is a classic trope and it’s used here in a nice way. Being able to see the future and knowing it will come true means he knows his fate and can’t stop it, even if he wanted to. This ultimate romance of his life is a blessing in the normal sense but is also completely out of his control. Does that remove the romance of it? A marriage arranged not by his parents but by the universe and time itself?
As for Henry as a character, I liked the way he sometimes embraced this and sometimes fights it.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t the author herself say that the story isn’t a romance, but the story of an abusive relationship?
ETA: I think most of the “romance” comes from people who also saw the movie or saw the movie, first, which makes the story much more of a tragic romance than the book does.
Yeah, I think you can make the argument that it’s a romance, but I saw it more as something more literary and took at lot of the time travel elements as metaphor for the way trauma shapes your life. I didn’t find either character likeable in the traditional sense, but I don’t really have the issues with connecting with characters I don’t like or needing to see them as someone I could have a beer with.
Overall, the book was pretty interesting, but definitely not meant to be a fun, light read.
The Time Travelers Wife is the only romance I like.
I don’t like Henry or Clare. Their love is selfish and all consuming. That’s why I love the book. I thought the end was sad in an “inevitable” way, not in an “oh no those poor people” way.
I just think it’s a really fascinating concept. It truly is epic love but isn’t epic love selfish by definition? Yet at the same time it’s neither of their faults.
They both meet a stranger who already knows them inside out and loves them unconditionally. It’s a mad concept done really well.