Am I mad about the fact that it took me three months to read this book? Nope.
Was it because I was genuinely confused? Yes.
Recursion is part sci-fi, part romance, and all parts insane. I’m not usually a fan of science fiction but the way Blake Crouch writes transcends the genre. I fully believe that’s why the book got the hype that it did. This is a love story through and through. It’s a love story for us to understand and feel the gravity of our realities. The main plot is about a New York Police detective named Barry who is called to intervene when a woman has false memory syndrome and is about to commit suicide, she can remember a whole life with her husband that didn’t really happen. That disparity causes her to jump. And Barry to act. We follow him into his story and background and learn about one fateful night that changed his life forever. We also get another perspective but I’m not going to say anything about that and give anything away.
This book is beyond a wild ride, it’s jarring, it’s gripping, it’s gross (I.e. skin melting) but each page you flip gives you another reason to gasp and smile. I couldn’t find anything wrong with the book. It took me a long time to get through because I was convinced that I wasn’t in the right space for it but once I started it back up, I couldn’t put it back down.
Reading the acknowledgments highlighted that the names of the characters in the book were inspired by people in Crouch’s life. That’s why this book felt more realistic, no fabrications, just real people in impossible situations fighting to make a difference.
So suspend belief, find a quiet place, and read this.
Reading Reckless : Rants and Raves 