I picked it up in an opportunity shop in Weybridge, London where there were several copies... in several shops... wondering at the time if it was so good, (best seller embalzened on the cover), wouldn't it be a keeper and hard to find? Well whatever the reason, I am glad I didn't allow my pre-conceived judgment as to the plethora of second-hand copies to cloud my mind and preclude me from buying it.
One gratuitous thought was, as I started it, how wonderful it was a thick book... hours of venturing in a new world awaited me... Books are a little like drugs, pills with pages... you can forget everything and just immerse yourself... lose yourself... and live vicariously through the adventures, albeit fictionalised, of others.
I did make the mistake of being so excited about this novel, I googled it to see if there was a movie in the making (there is) and darn it, Wikepedia had spoilers! All the same, my enjoyment of this novel was not thwarted however I did find one small wee continuity error, such as it is... which of course, in the nature of the book, had me spinning in a few time zones.... and it wasn't just the fact I had time traveled myself from the northern hemisphere back to my home in the southern!
Henry has a genetic disorder that spontaneously places him into a different time zone and place... so of course, he inherited this from ... whom? I suspect his mother, which is what caused the car accident she was in... and is the deep seated motive Henry has in not ever driving... however one then surmises, why didn't the mother jump into the future to meet Henry after her death, why does he not once mention either of his parents having the disorder? To me, this leaves a very logical and obvious hole in the book.... Hmmmmm....
I became deeply attached to the characters, yes I cried reading this book, sucking up the pathos like a greedy slug reeling on the intense emotions... this review is short, because it can be so easily summed up with... grab a copy, if you haven't taken this journey.... I cannot imagine anyone not loving, and I mean LOVING, this book!!!
