Recursion by Blake Crouch

Reviewed by Ginny!

**We received an early copy from Bookcon! We’d like to thank Blake and Crown Publishing Group for the opportunity. This book comes out on June 11th! You can get it here**

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Synopsis

Memory makes reality. That’s what New York City cop Barry Sutton is learning as he investigates the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome—a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived.

Neuroscientist Helena Smith already understands the power of memory. It’s why she’s dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious moments of our pasts. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent.

As Barry searches for the truth, he comes face-to-face with an opponent more terrifying than any disease—a force that attacks not just our minds but the very fabric of the past. And as its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it, only he and Helena, working together, will stand a chance at defeating it.

But how can they make a stand when reality itself is shifting and crumbling all around them?

Synopsis from Goodreads

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What I drank prior: As always.Plenty of wine. Right before bookcon I boight about 8 bottles of wine and our wine wheel is full up and Im enjoying that

Spoiler-free Overview: Barry talks to a woman with FMS (soemthing memory sydrome. Like fake memory syndorme) and she jumps off a building. He starts to investigate and ends up in a situation where he cam undo the death of his daughter. Time keeps passing but not the way it nornally does

Spoiler-free Thoughts: this book is wild! I read one of the authors eariler books and loved the insanity of it. I managed to snag a copy at bookcon (thank you Liz for spotting the crowd). The plot of this was kinf of amazing. Having read the first book I understood what type of twist I should be expecting but it didnt change the fact that I was surprised by the way this worked.

Characters: barry and Helena are the main characters. Both are fairly well fleshed out with their own motications. The different lines made sense with the characters thoigh I did wonder why Barry wasnt able to carry the weight of history. Slade was really interesting and I was surpsied thar he wasnt followed for more od the story. The but players still felt real which I appreciatedm

Plot:like I said, WILD. This book takes memory as time travel and makes it a focus. I don’t want to get too into it because I worry a summary will give too much away.

Writing Style: the writing style is delightful. There is a major focus on the action and the necessary details rather than pages of unnecessary details. In a lot od books I find myself skipping words just to avoid whats happening, this is not one of those.

World Building: this is a relatively sinilar book to earth as it stands. The science is out of this world, but that is kind of what Blake does. I liked the way memories were handled.

What to pair it with: Old Fasioned. Its a drink that can seem wildly different depending on who is making it, But its always an old fasioned

Rating: 5/5

-G