The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August – Claire North

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August – Claire North

A friend mentioned she was reading this book and it sounded interesting, so I thought I would give it a go. It was great – I became very single minded – can’t talk to you now must finish my book!

Here’s the blurb …

SOME STORIES CANNOT BE TOLD IN JUST ONE LIFETIME.
Harry August is on his deathbed. Again.
No matter what he does or the decisions he makes, when death comes, Harry always returns to where he began, a child with all the knowledge of a life he has already lived a dozen times before. Nothing ever changes.
Until now.
As Harry nears the end of his eleventh life, a little girl appears at his bedside. “I nearly missed you, Doctor August,” she says. “I need to send a message.”
This is the story of what Harry does next, and what he did before, and how he tries to save a past he cannot change and a future he cannot allow.

Now this novel is science fiction (Harry lives his life repeatedly), but not in the typical sense, so don’t let the fact that there is time travel put you off reading it.  I found this novel compelling – I couldn’t put it down and for once I don’t think it needs editing! The story unfolds gradually with little clues and foreshadowing here and there. It is told from Harry’s point of view and it is very ancedotal – it feels like someone is telling you the story with a few distractions and digressions. Harry is born during World War 1 and in one of his lives dies in 2003, so it is really the story of the 20th Century. It is a bit of a swash-buckling tale of courage, espionage and technical innovation. It is about the search for the Theory of Everything and just how far someone is prepared to go to achieve their goal – is it OK to sacrifice the future for the present? Also, if the world is essentially reset when you die and you repeat your life countless times, how do you make a difference?

Anyway, I really enjoyed this novel – it was fun, well-written, but also made me think from time to time.

Another review …

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jun/13/best-science-fiction-novels-june-review-roundup