The Time Traveler’s Wife
August 20, 2009 on 11:08 pm | In Film, Happenings | 12 CommentsI read The Time Traveler’s Wife a few years ago, while on holiday in Iceland. I read it in the tent over a couple of days, and I’ve not been able to face it again in the intervening time. I don’t think any other book has managed to cause me such emotional trauma before or since. It now stays on the shelf, a heavy presence, and I’ve not been able to muster the will to once more open it up.
The other day I went to see the film – it was as good as it could have been, I think. It was brilliantly cast, well done and the omissions would not have been too obvious to those who’d not read the book (mainly the darker aspects – the father, the fighting, the other side of Gomez). On the plus side, sections including Alba were actually better in the film than in the book. Overall, it was up and down and it reflected the theme of the book, and that was good. It was still pretty melancholy, but it was manageable.
Now, though, I have a problem. Watching the film has awoken the echoes of the book, and I don’t think I can hold off reading it anymore. It’s on my mind again, daily, and I know that dusting off the battered cover is the only way to resolve the matter. And I don’t want to, because it left such an impression before. I don’t know whether I’m trying to avoid the pain it caused last time, or whether I’m afraid it won’t do the same this time around.
Here we go again.
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I loved that book, and still do. Heartbreaking, yes, but for me the happiness and the humanity and the cleverness of the plot outweighed the trauma of the underlying philosophy.
I’m still not sure whether I want to see the film or not. I think it may have something to do with the fact that I fell in love with Henry in the book, and no projected version will ever do my imagination justice :D
Comment by Lucy — August 21, 2009 #
It would be so easy to fall in love with McAdams’ Clare it’s not even funny. You’d need to ask Claire about Eric Bana as Henry though, not my forté!
Much of the buildup of menace is missing in the film – the dark edge of the book is lost somewhat as is much of the business involving Kendrick. It’s still good though but it doesn’t have the deep investment in the characters you get from the book.
And unless your film-watching track record has increased of late, I’d never have anticipated you would have gone to see it!
Comment by Callan — August 21, 2009 #
Hmm. I really want to see the film; I shall have to find out if it’s on at teh Showroom. I loved the book, and I’ve read it a couple of times although not recently so many of hte details have faded; it’ll be interesting to see what I make of the film with such hazy memories of hte book. I’m not sure it’ll translate well – the book was truly excellent, and I can’t believe my sister still hasn’t read it!
And yes, I fell in love with Henry too and I cannot imagine any real person being exactly as I imagined him. Nor do I currently think McAdams was the right choice for Clare, but I’m open to being persuaded…
Comment by Jenny — August 21, 2009 #
Yeah all right, I’ll have you know that I’ve seen four films in the last month, FOUR, and two of them were at the cinema! So there :-P
Comment by Lucy — August 21, 2009 #
Right. If it’s on at the nearest cinema —- is it really, really sad for me to go and see it by myself? With all the connotations that may have. I might have to work the courage up a bit.
Comment by Fiona — August 21, 2009 #
@ Fiona: I’d go watch it again, but I;m a random guy off the internet so probably not a good bet.
@ Lucy: Colour me impressed!
@ Jenny: Yes, go put the book in front of your sister and lock her in the shed until she has read it. McAdams is a beautiful Clare, in my eyes they could not have picked someone better. But then, that’s me!
Comment by Callan — August 21, 2009 #
I am going to see the film this weekend, I have read the book, but don’t recall most of the details. There’s not much more than that I can add at the moment…
@Fiona: I was under the impression that it was quite socially acceptable to go to the cinema on yer tod nowadays, I know of several people who do so, par exemple when on far-away summer placements with no close friends to hand, & I often see single people in the ciné, I don’t think anyone even particulary notices, it’s dark, after all ;)
Comment by Flix — August 21, 2009 #
SRSLY. Line breaks.
Comment by Flix — August 21, 2009 #
Srsly? LOLZ!!!!!!!11
I just can’t find the motivation to fix it. One day…
Comment by Callan — August 21, 2009 #
@Callan, if you’re anywhere near Durham, let’s go to the cinema. Strictly no raping, pillaging, or brown mackintoshes. Bring an adult friend if necessary.
@Flix: quite probably it is, I haven’t actually been to the cinema except to see Harry Potter in about the last two years. Shocking stuff! Still feel a bit awkward going to see a romantic film on my own, I feel like I should be explaining animatedly that I’m going to name my first born child Alba Henriette. Actually… that might be quite amusing…
Incidentally, how does one do line breaks on these things? I don’t think I’ve ever discovered how…
Comment by Fiona — August 21, 2009 #
& n b s p ; , Fi, only without the spaces obviously. If I were in Durham I’d come and see it with you! Alas, I’m not for another few days by which point you will have probably resat and run off south again.
Comment by Lucy — August 22, 2009 #
I’m miles from Durham. Many of them. No surprises there, I don’t live more than an hour from my uni by car and it’s about as far away from Durham as you can get!
Yes, line breaks are a bit of a black art here – they stopped working when I changed the theme one day and haven’t come back since. Put the & n b s p ; in the line break in the comments box: i.e.
blah blah blah
& n b s p ;
tra la la.
For examples of how not to do it, browse back through Jenny’s comments (although I fixed most of them, I think)!
Comment by Callan — August 22, 2009 #