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Recursion by Blake Crouch

Would you go back in time, and face whatever potential consequences there might be for that choice, if you could erase a mistake or eliminate a painful memory? That is a central question of Recursion by Blake Crouch. 

I am a huge fan of this author, and I was excited to realize he had written another book since Dark Matter (which I loved), and that it fit prompts for both the PopSugar and Around the Year in 52 books challenges for 2021. 

I found the premise of this book super interesting at first, but then I really struggled to stay engaged when the focus first shifted from Barry to Helena, and I found throughout the story that I enjoyed the portions told from Barry's point of view much more than those told by Helena. 

Basically (and this story is NOT basic... brace yourself for lots of neuroscience), NYPD Detective Barry Sutton goes to a call for a woman sitting on the ledge of a tall building in NYC. She is suffering from False Memory Syndrome, a known but not well understood condition that is starting to infect random people. Meanwhile, Helena Smith is deep in her research and lab work to create a chair that can be used to implant past memories in to Alzheimer's suffers to help them regain their memories. The story bounces back in forth in time and space, and is told from both characters points of view throughout the novel. 

With Dark Matter, I really enjoyed the science, even though I did not know anything about it before I started reading. It was deep, but understandable. I found the science in Recursion not only over my head, but so far over my head that I felt like I had NO IDEA what the characters were talking about at least half the time. I finished the book, and the ending was good, but I was really put off by the technical level of the neuroscience information. I did not end up enjoy this one, and while I wouldn't dissuade someone else from giving it a shot, I also would not go out of my way to recommend it.

Final rating: ★★★☆☆

ATY prompt 43: A book with elements of magic

Popsugar Challenge prompt 11: A book about forgetting




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