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Recursion

Blake Crouch

Start date: August 1, 2019

Finish date: August 31, 2019

Discussion: Recursion

Discussion leader: Jennifer Jenkinson

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Recursion

Recursion Final Thoughts & Discussion *WILL contain spoilers*
By Jennifer · 9 posts · 88 views

last updated Aug 31, 2019 06:32PM

Book Five Discussion (pages 243 - 316)
By Jennifer · 4 posts · 34 views

last updated Aug 31, 2019 06:12PM

What Members Thought

Nov 12, 2019 Kristen rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-of-the-month

It’s hard not to compare this to Dark Matter. This is the follow-up to everyone’s favorite mind-bender, the cure for unenthusiastic readers, the easy way to fix a reading slump. Comparisons, though, as noted in my last review, are never truly fair, especially when the books aren’t related to one another.

With that in mind, Recursion was engaging and fun to read, but didn’t live up to the hype for me. I went into this book very excited because I loved Dark Matter so much, but a bit anxious becau It’s hard not to compare this to Dark Matter. This is the follow-up to everyone’s favorite mind-bender, the cure for unenthusiastic readers, the easy way to fix a reading slump. Comparisons, though, as noted in my last review, are never truly fair, especially when the books aren’t related to one another.

With that in mind, Recursion was engaging and fun to read, but didn’t live up to the hype for me. I went into this book very excited because I loved Dark Matter so much, but a bit anxious because of the hype and because my mom has early on-set dementia, so the idea of False Memory Syndrome felt overwhelming and scary. My mom struggles with knowing what memories are real and what’s not, and for her it feels that way…so for the characters to struggle with that was difficult. It’s a big fear of mine.

I was able to move on from the anxieties, though, and found it to be the book I needed during October, an insane month for teachers. I really liked Barry, and constantly rooted for him. I was very tepid on Helena originally, and I think it’s because I was too close to her own desire to fix this problem, but I warmed up and sympathized with her wants and her crushing guilt.

While the exposition is obviously necessary, the two story lines took too long to converge—I was far more invested in Barry’s storyline from the get-go, and Helena’s was a slow brew. I’m a sucker for a story where a parent loses a child (so gut-wrenching!).

Once the action picked up, though, I was hooked. I loved the twists and found myself constantly hoping against all hope for Barry and Helena. I thought we were going to have more of Marcus Slade as a villain, but I’m also glad he wasn’t present for a lot of the novel because the character vs. abstract problem is so much more engaging than just character vs. character. I struggled occasionally with understanding the travel method (#scienceishard), but I enjoyed the ending so much. It’s hard to bring a sci-fi thriller to a satisfying end (sometimes they’re too unrealistically happy, other times just make you feel more miserable), but this one was gratifying and just enough.

A dog named Jim-Bob barked once. I still don’t understand who names a dog Jim-Bob. 🐶🔊 ...more

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Jun 15, 2019 Cathi rated it liked it

I think I'm not really a sci-fi reader. I don't read a ton of it, and my other sci-fi read of the year (Golden State by Ben Winters) made me seriously mad. I won't get into a genre discussion here, as it's not fair to this book, but might explore a little more on Litsy. I haven't read Dark Matter, so I can't draw those comparisons.

Recursion is a very human, thriller-paced sci-fi (dystopian?) story. The hook of this story (found on the book jacket) really intrigued me. I found the ending lacking ...more

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May 18, 2019 Anne rated it really liked it

Shelves: x-read-in-2019

Oh man, Blake Crouch has done it again with this new book where he is really messing with reality. If you liked Dark Matter you will want to get your hands on his new book immediately! In this book the reader will encounter False Memory Syndrome which afflicts people with memories different from the life they are living.
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“Think of our life like a book. Each page a distinct moment. But in the same way we read a book, we can only perceive one moment, one page, at a time. Our flawed perce ...more

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Jun 28, 2019 Kris Ruggiero rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, 2019-booklist, botm, favorite-books-2019

What if your memories weren’t your past?
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This is but one of the questions that Blake Crouch asks the reader in his newest book. It is a mind-bending, thrilling read that immerses the reader in a puzzle from the first page. I’ve waited for this book since reading and falling in love with Dark Matter. I think I loved Recursion just as much, if not more. It made me think about the past and my own memories and time itself. I have moments of nostalgia and some memories are certainly more vivid than o ...more

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Jul 01, 2019 Lisa rated it really liked it

“Time is an illusion, a construct made out of human memory. There’s no such thing as the past, the present, or the future. It’s all happening now.”

JESUS. What a fantastic story. The writing is stark and sharp and sucks you right into the bizarre concept that becomes the plot. Until it changes. And then you’re sucked in to another story. Until that changes too. Lots of zigs and zags, and meandering timelines that cross over each other and wind up somewhere else. It completely messed with me and I ...more

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Jul 04, 2019 Melissa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2019

A solid 4.5 stars (I still wish there were half stars) but I’ll round up because this is probably one of my favorite books I have read this year. I was worried that I might be disappointed after building this one up after Dark Matter but it was hard to put down.

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Aug 12, 2019 Brittani rated it it was amazing

‘That’s what it is to be human- the beauty and the pain, each meaningless without the other.’

— wow, what a book. 4.8! Sill trying to process, but I couldn’t lose this quote!

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Jul 23, 2019 Kara rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobook

4.5/5 An amazing story. If you could go back to a single memory in time and relive that moment in time would you go back?

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Dec 01, 2019 Jude (HeyJudeReads) Fricano rated it liked it

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

There is not much to be said about the book that hasn't already been said. It took me for a ride. It wiped me out. It pushed me to the brink of hope and dropped me off the cliff. Time after time after time. How can a story of memory and manipulation be destructive? Isn't too much of anything end up being a bad thing? This was a tale that spans ages, memories, miles and mankind. It cannot be described adequat ...more

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Jul 14, 2019 Dara Tinius rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is a rip roaring good read. Stylistically a mix between The Martian and The Time Traveler’s Wife.

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Nov 09, 2019 Erica rated it really liked it

Wow. This was such a creative story. I loved the different perspectives and time lines. The story zipped along and the main conflict was an interesting conundrum. This book was well-developed and almost believable in its detail.

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