Recursion by Blake Crouch – ARC Review

Summary:

Memory makes reality. That’s what New York City cop Barry Sutton is learning as he investigates the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome—a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived.

Neuroscientist Helena Smith already understands the power of memory. It’s why she’s dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious moments of our pasts. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent.

As Barry searches for the truth, he comes face-to-face with an opponent more terrifying than any disease—a force that attacks not just our minds but the very fabric of the past. And as its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it, only he and Helena, working together, will stand a chance at defeating it.

But how can they make a stand when reality itself is shifting and crumbling all around them?

Review: 3 Stars

Recursion is a bit out of my normal genre preferences, but the idea behind the novel really intrigued me, so I thought I would give it a chance. This book was pretty interesting and very thought provoking. Recursion is one of those books that changes the way you look at after reading it. It is a mind bending science fiction novel and I’m glad I had the opportunity to read it.

I did have a few issues with this book while reading. The beginning was amazing and really got me thinking about memory and just how vivid my memories actually are. I found the beginning well paced and fascinating, but then I hit a point where I felt like I no longer cared what happened. I didn’t love the characters and I found the middle of the book to be a bit dull. I set it aside for a little bit, but picked it back up and towards the end it got really good and thought provoking again. This book really made me think about memory, the concept of time and just the importance of appreciating life and moments while you’re in them.

I think my issue with this book came from the fact that I didn’t really connect with the characters. I found Helena and Barry to be a bit vanilla and bland with no real personality to them. I thought the plot was pretty interesting and completely mind bending. There was a lot of action in this book, but I still found it really easy to set down in the middle, At times I got bored of the repetitive plot and just wanted this book to end. I almost did not finish this book, but it picked back up right before I gave up on it. The ending was pretty cool, so I am glad that I actually finished it.

Even with all of the issues that I had with this book I am glad that I read it. Recursion was a book that made me think and sparked many conversations after reading. It was the concepts behind this book that made it enjoyable, not necessarily the writing or the characters.

I received an advanced review copy from Netgalley and Crown Publishing.