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A review by forestfloor
The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I have to say I was shocked when I got to the end and read that this was Mascarenhas' debut novel - it was so good.
The plot and world building are what really won me over: a time travel plot with multiple timelines and character perspectives is had to keep all together and yet this book had a strong plot concept which it executed really well. It's a really original take on time travel as well. It focuses less on the impacts of the alternative technology, culture and aesthetic etc. of different time periods on the characters, and does away with common tropes around paradoxes. Instead, you're left with a fascinating look into the culture and mental state time travellers acquire simply by being time travellers.
Where the book lost me a little bit is in characterisation - the characters were really well developed as far as their motivations and personality were relevant to the plot, but not outside of this. That missing layer of enriching but not necessarily relevant description would have let them feel more like fully developed people.
The other thing that bothers me slightly is two points I felt were left a little unfinished:
First, I think that wrapping up the story with Ginger and her husband was missing, because we left them on a very tense note.
Second, while Ruby is by no means painted as an aggressor, she is considered to be Margret's murderer. I feel that actually, Angharad holds that position, and I think that the discovery of this was missing, or not quite concrete enough, in the book.
The plot and world building are what really won me over: a time travel plot with multiple timelines and character perspectives is had to keep all together and yet this book had a strong plot concept which it executed really well. It's a really original take on time travel as well. It focuses less on the impacts of the alternative technology, culture and aesthetic etc. of different time periods on the characters, and does away with common tropes around paradoxes. Instead, you're left with a fascinating look into the culture and mental state time travellers acquire simply by being time travellers.
Where the book lost me a little bit is in characterisation - the characters were really well developed as far as their motivations and personality were relevant to the plot, but not outside of this. That missing layer of enriching but not necessarily relevant description would have let them feel more like fully developed people.
First, I think that wrapping up the story with Ginger and her husband was missing, because we left them on a very tense note.
Second, while Ruby is by no means painted as an aggressor, she is considered to be Margret's murderer. I feel that actually, Angharad holds that position, and I think that the discovery of this was missing, or not quite concrete enough, in the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Murder
Minor: Racism