RECURSION by Blake Crouch

Rating: 5 / 5

RECURSION by Blake Crouch is a book which has received a lot of hype on bookstagram. When RECURSION was announced for the #notyomamasbookclub hosted by @downtogetthefiction and @kraysbookclub on Instagram, I immediately put it on hold at the library. I loved reading Crouch’s prior book DARK MATTER in June, so I was eager to read his new release.

RECURSION is a hard book to summarize without giving any plot points away. We are following two people throughout the novel. Barry is a police detective who gets called to a suicide. The woman on the ledge has something called FMS, False Memory Syndrome. A person with FMS has memories of an entirely different life than the one they’re currently living. As one might imagine that causes confusion and distress. What if the alternate life you remember was better than the life you’re living now? Scientists have no clue what is causing FMS, much less how to cure it.

Our second protagonist is Helena, a neuroscientist who is studying memory. It isn’t clear in the beginning how these characters or their timelines are related. Helena’s intentions are good, stemming from wanting to assist her own mother who is suffering with Alzheimers, but how might her research be involved in the sudden onset of FMS?

This book puts you right in the middle of the action with Barry’s call out to the potential suicide and the confusion and hurt of the woman on the ledge really draws you into the problems of those facing FMS. The book takes so many twists and turns from there that I just can’t spoil, but this is a heavily mind bending story for the reader!

I have read quite a few books this year that play with the concept of alternate timelines, the path not taken, and the consequences of decisions and this is a concept that I really enjoy seeing in literature. That said, if you aren’t the type who likes alternating perspectives and/or timelines, this probably isn’t going to be the book for you.

I am so impressed with Blake Crouch’s creativity with this novel and can’t imagine trying to keep it all straight when writing it! The book is fast paced throughout and definitely a page turner. I managed to time my read perfectly, reading the first half of the book right before our mid-way chat session and finishing the book right after the chat, all in one day!

I am so glad that I picked up this book and I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a fun, fast-paced, mind bending read! For me, this is a book that merited the hype!