The Time Traveler's Wife

It is 1968 and Henry’s fifth birthday. His parents, who are both musicians, take him to the Field Museum of Natural History. When the family returns, Henry has a hard time sleeping. His parents go to bed, and Henry has his first time travel experience. Child Henry is visited by the 24-year-old version of himself, and they visit the museum after business hours. After the experience, older Henry remembers being the younger Henry. His five-year-old self had revealed to his mother that he had time traveled, and his mom had laughed in a kindly patronizing way.

The year is 1977. Henry is 36 and he is visiting Clare, who is six. This is the first time he has visited the young version of his wife in his present timeline. He meets her in a meadow on her parents’ property, a place that will become the setting for many of their encounters. Henry tries to convince Clare that he poses no threat to her, even though he is wearing no clothes, which always happens when he time travels. He finally convinces her not to say anything about him to anyone.

The narrative shifts forward to the year 2000, Henry and Clare’s present. Then it shifts back to 1977. Clare reveals some of her family circumstances. Henry arrives once again with no clothes. Clare is ready and brings him some. She reveals to Henry that she has told Ruth, one of the family housekeepers, about him. Ruth does not believe her.

It is 1973 and 27-year-old Henry is once again visiting his younger self; this time his younger self is nine. Older Henry takes younger Henry on a tour of a museum, where he will provide instruction on how to pick people’s pockets, a skill that he claims is essential for survival as a time traveler. After showing younger Henry how to pickpocket, older Henry encourages younger Henry to give it a try. Younger Henry is successful.

The narrative shifts to 1978. Both versions of Henry are 15, only Henry time- traveling is a few months older. The two engage in a sexual act with one another and Henry’s father walks in on them. The two Henrys speak on why the time traveler cannot change events, even when they are aware of what’s to come.

There are five more narrative shifts, including one when Henry is taken by police only to disappear to some other time once again. Clare appears later in the chapter. When she first appears, she is 12 and when the chapter ends, she is 13. Clare and Henry discuss God and religion; at this stage in her life, Clare is a faithful believer, which Henry points out, will change over time.

Henry tells her that St. Thomas Aquinas “believed in both Aristotle and angels” to illustrate how one can be both rational and believe in God (77). Clare does not get the point and says: “I love angels…they’re so beautiful. I wish I could have wings and fly around and sit on clouds,” to which Henry responds by quoting the German poet Rainer Maria Rilke: “Every angel is terrifying” (77).

It is 1984. Clare awakens in the early morning and sees Henry outside with her father and brother. Clare does not understand what’s going on, but she senses something bad.

The narrative shifts ahead to 1987 when Clare turns 16 and gets her driver’s license. Henry reveals that he does not drive because of his condition. Clare drives to a friend’s party while Henry waits in the car outside. When Clare leaves the party, she is visibly upset and drives recklessly without her lights on.

A few months later, Henry time travels back to Clare’s adolescence. Clare asks him if he would consider hurting someone on her behalf. She reveals the person she wants him to hurt is Jason Everleigh, a football player. She tells Henry that Jason assaulted her and forced her to perform sexual acts, though she insists that he did not rape her. Henry agrees to hurt Jason. He and Clare confront him using an unloaded gun. They tie him up and cut his clothes off and leave him.

The narrative again shifts to 1995. Henry and Clare are married at this point. He sees the cigarette burn scar on Clare’s breast, which he now understands was inflicted by Jason. The narrative shifts back to 1988 before finally returning to 2000.

Clare is 17 and Henry is 40. It is 1988. Henry is in the basement of Meadowlark House, Clare’s family’s home. This is one of their meeting places. While waiting for Clare, Henry recalls the circumstances of his mother’s death. She died in a car accident after bumping into a truck that was carrying sheet metal. Henry describes the gruesome details of her death, and the fact that he often time travels to that moment to witness it over and over again.

It is 1988 and Henry is 25. He is spending Christmas Eve alone. After going ice skating, he stops at a bar. He knows the bartender, Mia. Mia tries to get Henry to accompany her to her family Christmas party, and Henry declines. Henry gets very drunk, passes out, and wakes up in the hospital.

The narrative shifts to the following April. A time-traveling Henry meets young Clare while she is out helping her blind grandmother take a walk. Henry persuades Clare to let her grandmother in on their secret.