Everything in Elizabeth Egan’s life has its place, from the espresso cups in her gleaming kitchen to the swatches and paint pots of her interior design business. Order and precision keep life under control—and keep Elizabeth’s heart from the pain and hurt she has suffered in the past. Being a reluctant mother to her six-year-old nephew while trying to keep her business on track is a full-time job for Elizabeth, and one that leaves little room for error—or fun.
This is the extraordinary love story of Clare and Henry who met when Clare was 6 and Henry was 36, and were married when Clare was 22 and Henry was 30. Impossible but true, because Henry suffers from a rare condition, "Chrono-Displacement" that causes him to involuntarily travel through time where his genetic clock periodically resets and he finds himself pulled suddenly into his past or future. Henry cannot take anything with him into the future or the past. Even fillings in his teeth are left behind. He always "arrives" naked and must work hard while "away" to find clothing, shelter, and food without getting beaten up or arrested. He amasses a number of survival skills including pickpocketing, lock-picking, and expert fighting skills to allow him to get by without the bare necessities. He learns many of these skills from older versions of himself, either when the older self is time-traveling into his own past, or when his older and younger selves' time-traveling coincides.
Clare Abshire comes from a wealthy family, goes to Catholic school and then moves to Chicago to study art. She eventually becomes an artist, making paper and creating sculptures from paper and wire frames.
Henry time travels into Clare's childhood many times, starting in 1977 when she is six years old. He gives her a list of the visits he will make when he visits her for the first time (in her past), then she writes these dates into a diary so she can expect his visits. As an adult, when all of the visits are through, she gives the list to him to return to her in her past. He visits her numerous times during her childhood and adolescence, and inadvertently reveals that they will be married in the future. His last visit takes place on her eighteenth birthday in 1989, and then they are separated for two years until they finally meet in real time for both of them.
When 20-year-old Clare meets up with 28-year-old Henry in 1991, he has never seen her before, although she has known him most of her life. Clare's past is still in Henry's future. Henry begins to experience the events in Clare's childhood at the same time that he experiences life with the adult Clare in the present. In the novel, the future cannot be changed, and many tragic events are foreshadowed in the past.
Clare and Henry get married, but have trouble conceiving a child because of his genetic disorder. After six miscarriages, Henry gives up and has a vasectomy. Later, a past version of Henry travels to the future and makes love to Clare and she becomes pregnant and carries the child to term. They have a daughter named Alba, who is diagnosed with the same disorder. Before she is born, Henry travels to the future and meets Alba at ten years old. Alba reveals to Henry that he is to die when she is five years old.
Years later, Henry time-travels to Chicago on a very cold winter night, where he is unable to find shelter. He experiences hypothermia and develops frostbite. After returning to his 'present', his feet are amputated, while the story has stressed that his ability to run is his most important survival skill. It is not long before Henry time-travels into the middle of th Michigan during deer season and is fatally shot by Clare's brother. He returns to the present and dies in Clare’s arms.
Clare is devastated by Henry's passing, and feels unable to live her life without him. She finds a letter from Henry describing an experience he had with her in her future, when she is an old woman. Henry doesn't want Clare to wait for him, but he wants her to know that they will see each other again because love knows no boundaries and transcends time and death. Clare then lives to old age, and is visited by Henry for a final time.
Interesting book... cant wait to read it.. and i've already bought it.
Everything in Elizabeth Egan’s life has its place, from the espresso cups in her gleaming kitchen to the swatches and paint pots of her interior design business. Order and precision keep life under control—and keep Elizabeth’s heart from the pain and hurt she has suffered in the past. Being a reluctant mother to her six-year-old nephew while trying to keep her business on track is a full-time job for Elizabeth, and one that leaves little room for error—or fun.This is the extraordinary love story of Clare and Henry who met when Clare was 6 and Henry was 36, and were married when Clare was 22 and Henry was 30. Impossible but true, because Henry suffers from a rare condition, "Chrono-Displacement" that causes him to involuntarily travel through time where his genetic clock periodically resets and he finds himself pulled suddenly into his past or future. Henry cannot take anything with him into the future or the past. Even fillings in his teeth are left behind. He always "arrives" naked and must work hard while "away" to find clothing, shelter, and food without getting beaten up or arrested. He amasses a number of survival skills including pickpocketing, lock-picking, and expert fighting skills to allow him to get by without the bare necessities. He learns many of these skills from older versions of himself, either when the older self is time-traveling into his own past, or when his older and younger selves' time-traveling coincides.
Clare Abshire comes from a wealthy family, goes to Catholic school and then moves to Chicago to study art. She eventually becomes an artist, making paper and creating sculptures from paper and wire frames.
Henry time travels into Clare's childhood many times, starting in 1977 when she is six years old. He gives her a list of the visits he will make when he visits her for the first time (in her past), then she writes these dates into a diary so she can expect his visits. As an adult, when all of the visits are through, she gives the list to him to return to her in her past. He visits her numerous times during her childhood and adolescence, and inadvertently reveals that they will be married in the future. His last visit takes place on her eighteenth birthday in 1989, and then they are separated for two years until they finally meet in real time for both of them.
When 20-year-old Clare meets up with 28-year-old Henry in 1991, he has never seen her before, although she has known him most of her life. Clare's past is still in Henry's future. Henry begins to experience the events in Clare's childhood at the same time that he experiences life with the adult Clare in the present. In the novel, the future cannot be changed, and many tragic events are foreshadowed in the past.
Clare and Henry get married, but have trouble conceiving a child because of his genetic disorder. After six miscarriages, Henry gives up and has a vasectomy. Later, a past version of Henry travels to the future and makes love to Clare and she becomes pregnant and carries the child to term. They have a daughter named Alba, who is diagnosed with the same disorder. Before she is born, Henry travels to the future and meets Alba at ten years old. Alba reveals to Henry that he is to die when she is five years old.
Years later, Henry time-travels to Chicago on a very cold winter night, where he is unable to find shelter. He experiences hypothermia and develops frostbite. After returning to his 'present', his feet are amputated, while the story has stressed that his ability to run is his most important survival skill. It is not long before Henry time-travels into the middle of th Michigan during deer season and is fatally shot by Clare's brother. He returns to the present and dies in Clare’s arms.
Clare is devastated by Henry's passing, and feels unable to live her life without him. She finds a letter from Henry describing an experience he had with her in her future, when she is an old woman. Henry doesn't want Clare to wait for him, but he wants her to know that they will see each other again because love knows no boundaries and transcends time and death. Clare then lives to old age, and is visited by Henry for a final time.
Interesting book... cant wait to read it.. and i've already bought it.