Recursion by Blake Crouch

Before I got my hands on this book, I read several reviews: Mogsy’s review, Lisa’s review, Kyra’s review , Petrik’s review and Dave’s review … So many good reviews! I knew I had to get this book. It did not disappoint. Please check out their posts. These bloggers are great follows.

Crouch takes on the consequences of time travel… wrapping it up in a clay ball and redesigning the timeline in an emotional page-turning thriller.

In the midst of a hollow life filled with grief from his daughter’s death and a fall into sell-medication, NYPD officer Barry Sutton responds to a suicide call at a midtown high-rise. A woman is experiencing a psychotic episode fueled by an illness whose victims perceive  ghosting memories of lives lived and lost. She sees two existences stretch out behind her and the consequences of each cause her severe depression. Barry is unable to stop her from jumping and feels compelled to investigate the underlying cause…

On the other coast, Helena Smith is working in her lab to capture the conscience lost from Alzheimer’s disease. Her mother suffers from the slow debilitation of her memories, and Helena’s goal is to get funding to further her project. With only weeks left of her current monies, she is approached by a mysterious Silicon Valley donor. She is whisked off to a remodeled oil rig 150 miles out in the ocean with all full crew of scientists and unlimited money at her disposal. But her benefactor’s plans with the completed tech might be a little removed from Helena’s.

As Barry’s investigation takes him deeper into the causes of the memory illness, he finds a greater conspiracy to undermine the entire fabric of humankind’s timeline… Helena seeks out Barry as an ally in her effort to stop the chaos.

Crouch has the roller-coaster pacing down. He knows exactly how to end a chapter to keep you up past your bedtime… and with the dueling narratives of Barry and Helena, you have to read two to get your questions answered! I also appreciate that his tech-speak isn’t dumbed down, but is still accessible to a non-science guy like myself.

I felt the emotional toll that hits the characters over and over in the course of 300+ pages. The author’s details in recounting the memories of Barry’s lost child, Helena’s crippled mother, and the chances that slip away… The only criticism I found in the book was the explanation of the villain’s motivation. I felt that character could have been more tied to some of the tech companies that we are seeing in the headlines currently and he just wasn’t as fleshed out as I would have liked.

Recursion is another quality technothiller by one of the best in the genre. Pick this one up for speculative escapism as its best.

4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Crown Publishing, and the author for an advanced copy for review.