In Recursion, NYPD detective Barry Sutton investigates “False Memory Syndrome,” by which people are tortured with memories of a life they never lived. Meanwhile, brilliant research scientist Helena Smith races to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease before her mother succumbs to the illness. Their paths and timelines cross, as Barry discovers the terrible truth behind the false memories and Helena tries to undo the horrible damage she has unwittingly unleashed.

For me, this novel was kind of like the movie Inception, but in book form, in that I had a hard time following it and I’m still not exactly sure that I understand what happened. That said, I enjoyed it a lot. I found the first half of the book utterly gripping, while the second half was a bit repetitive and probably too long. Still, I really liked this book.

Any story dealing with time travel is tricky. It’s hard to do it well without it seeming gimmicky or falling into all sorts of logistical problems. I think Recursion largely succeeds, though as with all time travel stories, it’s probably best to enjoy the story and not overthink the science. I think I enjoyed the book mostly because I was drawn to the characters and wanted to see how their stories ended.

Recommended!