Clare L. Deming

I read Recursion by Blake Crouch last month for a book club discussion (paid link). I’ve read and enjoyed a couple of the author’s other books in the past and you can see my reviews of those below:

• Dark Matter – review here; link to purchase here
• Upgrade – review here; link to purchase here

Here is the blurb:

Memory makes reality.

That’s what NYC 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.

That’s what neuroscientist Helena Smith believes. It’s why she’s dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious memories. 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?

At once a relentless pageturner and an intricate science-fiction puzzlebox about time, identity, and memory, Recursion is a thriller as only Blake Crouch could imagine it—and his most ambitious, mind-boggling, irresistible work to date.

This book follows the point-of-view of the two characters in the blurb above and starts off as a linear story. However, it turns into something much more complicated and convoluted as the truth of Helena’s memory-based research and technology becomes more clear.

Without wanting to give too much away, the story features a villain who is a rather over-the-top billionaire, questions about who should be able to make decisions about the use of dangerous technology, and time travel of a sort.

I enjoyed this book and I think of Blake Crouch’s novels and sci-fi thrillers because they draw me in with their quick pacing. The downside of this is that I tend to read them so fast that I don’t see the plot holes that I suspect are there, given the complex nature of the story. While this book brought up intriguing questions about who should use an advanced technology and why, I also read so quickly that I didn’t think these issues through as much as I might have liked. This did give my book club plenty of room for discussion, but part of me still wishes I had read this more slowly.

The characters in this book were well-drawn enough for me, given the fast pace of the story. They all have their own tragic memories and backstory that drive their actions. This book also uses those moments that provoke shared generational trauma, such as the Challenger disaster, together with more personal stories to convey the power of memory.

I did enjoy the ending of the novel, and felt that it drew everything together in a satisfying way. Some of the scenes toward the end become quite graphic and gruesome though, so approach this book carefully if that is something you’d rather not read.

Have you read any books by Blake Crouch? Which was your favorite? I think I still liked Dark Matter the best of those I’ve read. Let’s discuss in the comments!

Find more of my book reviews here.