The Time Traveler’s Wife: a ‘problematic’ adaptation of the hit novel
Book was made into a 2009 film – and now Apple TV+ has had a go
Audrey Niffenegger’s debut novel, The Time Traveler’s Wife, has sold so many copies since its publication in 2003 that “most people know the basics” of the plot already, said Lucy Mangan in The Guardian. In case you don’t, it revolves around a librarian called Henry, who has a rare genetic disorder that causes him to travel through time, landing him “dazed and naked wherever the cosmos takes him”.
Over the course of these “unchronological journeys”, he meets his soulmate, Clare, but they are regularly wrenched from each other’s arms “to reunite weeks, months or years later in more or less romantic scenarios”. The book was made into a 2009 film, and now Apple TV+ has had a go, with some success.
Rose Leslie brings “spark” to the title role, and director Steven Moffat (of Doctor Who fame) ensures that Henry’s comings and goings “create a choppy energy rather than chaos”. But even Moffat can’t make up for the “slightly depressing” fact that the story is built around Clare’s passivity: she’s always waiting for her man to come back to her.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
I found the series dated and sluggish, said Barbara Ellen in The Observer. It’s frankly “concening” seeing Henry as a naked older man visiting child-aged Clare, lurking in the bushes and insisting it’s their “secret”.
It is “problematic”, said Hugo Rifkind in The Times, and you start to wonder why “local law enforcement” has never taken an interest in this naked man; but ”it works”, thanks to strong performances and a plot that throbs with “pleasing allegorical heartache”.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Ed Park's 6 favorite works about self reflection and human connection
Feature The Pulitzer Prize finalist recommends works by Jason Rekulak, Gillian Linden, and more
By The Week US Published
-
6 fantastic homes in Columbus, Ohio
Feature Featuring a 1915 redbrick Victorian in German Village and a modern farmhouse in Woodland Park
By The Week Staff Published
-
Drawing the Italian Renaissance: a 'relentlessly impressive' exhibition
The Week Recommends Show at the King's Gallery features an 'enormous cache' of works by the likes of Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael
By The Week UK Published
-
Niall Williams shares his favourite books
The Week Recommends The Irish novelist chooses works by Charles Dickens, Seamus Heaney and Wendell Berry
By The Week UK Published
-
Patriot: Alexei Navalny's memoir is as 'compelling as it is painful'
The Week Recommends The anti-corruption campaigner's harrowing book was published posthumously after his death in a remote Arctic prison
By The Week UK Published
-
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: a 'magical' show with 'an electrifying emotional charge'
The Week Recommends The 'vivacious' Fitzgerald adaptation has a 'shimmering, soaring' score
By The Week UK Published
-
Bird: Andrea Arnold's 'strange, beguiling and quietly moving' drama
The Week Recommends Barry Keoghan stars in 'fearless' film combining social and magical realism
By The Week UK Published
-
Kate Summerscale's 6 favorite true crime books about real murder cases
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Helen Garner, Gwen Adshead, and more
By The Week US Published