Recursion by Blake Crouch is an adult science fiction standalone.
What is a memory? Is it a projection of the past? What happens to memories when they are gone? Are we made up of memories? Can memories be false?
These are the questions New York City copy, Barry Sutton, has begun to ask himself as he investigates the rising epidemic of False Memory Syndrome–a mysterious illness where people are driven made with remembering false lives they never lived.
Neuroscientist Helena Smith has made understanding and saving memories her life work. She is dedicated to creating a memory machine that will store and even restore the memories of people with Alzheimers.
As Helena’s technology makes it’s way into the wrong hands, False Memory Syndrome is on the rise and the panic it is causing has become out of control. As the truth of what is happening escalates, it is up to Barry and Helena to make things right. But playing with the past could very well doom the future.
Recursion is another success by Crouch. I swear after reading his Dark Matter, my mind questioned everything for a good day or two. Recursion is very similar in this respect, in that it really makes you think. What is memory? Are my memories still alive out there somewhere? Can we ever access them fully?
One of the things I love about Crouch’s books is that they are plausibly scientific even while they are labeled “science fiction.” The science is all there and, not having a PhD in physics or anything, seems legit. And yet we get this out there possibility, when, if you think about it, may not be so very out there.
Helena and Barry’s relationship is so emotional and melds seamlessly with the story, alternate timelines, memory jumps and all. I really enjoyed their dynamic and I think it helped to ground the story.
Ultimately, I love a good book that makes me think and this one does just that. This one gets 4.5 high stars from me.
That’s all for now!
-M-
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