The Book Nook

Bending reality   “Recursion” is a novel by Blake Crouch that kept popping up on my radar since its publication last year.  I joined the many readers who enjoyed his thrilling bestseller “Dark Matter” in 2016 and looked forward to reading more of his work. “Recursion” opens with a New York cop named Barry Sutton responding to a call about a woman threatening to kill herself.  As he tries to talk her out of it, she reveals that she has FMS or False Memory Syndrome.  It’s a fairly recent phenomenon in which people are suddenly stricken with vivid memories of having lived another life. People with FMS says the new memories are so detailed and intense that it’s difficult to distinguish false memories from real ones.  Ten percent of those with FMS cannot bear the agony of an alternative history and commit suicide.  It’s uncertain whether FMS is contagious and Barry has little time to decide whether getting close enough to help the woman is worth the risk. Barry already suffers from one particularly haunting memory which has nothing to do with FMS.  Eight years previously his daughter died and his life went downhill from there.  After his encounter with the woman, he’s intrigued enough by FMS to start a quiet investigation on his own to see where it leads. We shift back in time to the story’s other central character, Helena Smith, a researcher studying memory loss.  Her interest is personal after a beloved family member was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.  Witnessing the continual decline and knowing how it affects both the victim and their family motivated her to dedicate her life to helping these people.  She is now a respected neuroscientist at Stanford University and a recognized expert on memory. After years of research, she’s on the brink of an exciting breakthrough.  Achieving such an ambitious goal requires immense resources and her university funds are almost gone.  She’s worried her application for private backing will be denied and time is rapidly running out.  When she’s offered a blank check by an anonymous donor, she jumps at the opportunity. With a state-of-the-art lab and unlimited funds, the project advances faster than Helena had imagined.  Delighted with the progress, she’s ready to publish her findings when she’s faced with a shocking dilemma. Meanwhile, Barry’s private pursuit for answers has only led to more questions.  He needs enough evidence to justify an official investigation and is close to getting it when a promising lead appears.  If only he knew what lies ahead. Early in in the story I wondered what a member of the NYPD and a California researcher had in common, but Crouch skillfully ties their stories together.  Barry’s character serves as the lay-person trying to understand the issues while Helena provides expertise and a unique invention that will change lives in unimaginable ways. This is a plot that requires some work to track but is worth the effort.  That’s because the author has clever ideas which are both stimulating and chilling.  The story is an appealing mix of science and horror that defies a one-genre classification. Another plus are the elegant explanations of how memory works and thought-provoking ideas about the meaning of our experiences.  Reality becomes a slippery commodity and readers will find themselves on a dark and exciting ride that gets stranger and more complicated as it progresses. While I personally feel the tale’s a bit weak on character development, it has a rich plot.  Crouch wastes no time in introducing the action and sustains the pace’s momentum from beginning to end.  The chapters are short and the prose is straight-forward. While this isn’t a grand literary work, there are some aspects that invite deeper thought about identity and memory.  It’s also a good pick for those seeking edgy science with some horror or readers who want to test the science fiction waters.  Although the author bends reality for both characters and readers, he does a decent job helping us keep up to speed with few plot holes. If you enjoyed the television program Wayward Pines, you may know it was based on a novel by Blake Crouch, who was also the screenwriter.  He’s also working on a screen version of “Dark Matter” and a movie and series adaptation for “Recursion”.  That said, readers who dislike stories that read more like a screenplay than a novel should be fine with Crouch’s style. For those who read the book and have questions about the few plot holes, check out the Bibliofile website at  https://the-bibliofile.com/recursion/    Jennifer Marie Lin has taken the time to describe the book, share thoughts and address some questions.  She’s thoughtfully separated her information into spoiler and non-spoiler sections. Overall, I can suggest this for anyone who enjoys modern fiction with lots of twists, moral dilemmas or action.