The storyline revolves around emerging scientific and philosophical theories of what time really is. Is there a definitive "arrow of time" with a past, present and future, or do all moments exist as junctions on a gigantic matrix and the passing of time as we experience it as us hopping between different junctions, which we experience in a set sequence.

So, the story unfolds with development of a chair which, although it kills the sitter, it allows them to travel in time and begin a new timeline to right wrongs in their previous life.. Of course the story really develops when it emerges that the maker of the chair did so for not entirely positive reasons.

The first two thirds are gripping, fast paced and action packed, with many twists and turns in the plot. However, it is slightly let down by the final third. In my opinion, there's too much travelling back and forth between different timelines and it becomes convoluted and confusing, at least when you have to read it in multiple sittings with extended breaks in between, But I suspect that's just because I had to read it that way.

Having said all that, did I enjoy it? Mostly yes and I was glad to have made the effort to complete it.

(Spoilers removed here, but behind spoiler tags on my blog and Goodreads.)

This novel definitely dealt with an interesting idea, one that raised a lot of ethical conundrums—and not only when it comes to mapping and injecting memories. It’s hard to fully develop this without spoiling, and whoever has read the book will know anyway what I’m talking about. Suffice to say that considering the successive outcomes after the turning point “experiment”, it was only logical that things would go to the dogs a little more each time.

The concept explored here is one that lends itself to discussion and to a lot of diverging opinions, and illustrates perfectly how the road to Hell is so often paved with good intentions. And I’d definitely side with Helena here: as much as her technology would be great if used at a very small scale, I wouldn’t trust humanity with it either.

In terms of the plot, I was totally on board. The story demands one to stay focused on the details, since several events happening throughout the novel become essential again later on—I read mostly while commuting/walking, so I tend to unconsciously ‘skim’ at times, and here, I had to go back to realise that what felt like a plot hole was just my not having paid enough attention. I didn’t agree with everything in terms of science (doesn’t matter what happens at the quantum level, you can’t exactly use that and apply it to the macro level), but it didn’t have much of an impact on my enjoyment while reading, and I’m OK with that.

Where I didn’t like the book so much was when it came to the characters. Due to the nature of the plot, a lot rested on repetitive scenes, with the same characters. However, while I didn’t dislike them, I didn’t feel particularly connected to them either. Which is really too bad—you’ve got to admire Helena’s courage and resiliency, and the sacrifices she made, to try and repair the damage; that would turn more than one person completely mad after the first couple of attempts. But I wasn’t convinced by the shortcuts taken with the characters’ relationship (how they get to know each other, how said relationship developed). To be honest, for me, this was Helena’s story. Barry mostly seemed like he was needed so that there would be someone (anyone) with Helena to give a hand, with more importance towards the end, which in itself also tasted a little too much like “in spite of all the girl’s efforts, the guy’s the one who saves the day”, so…

Conclusion: 3 stars. It was a plot-driven story, a plot that I liked, but in this specific case, it also needed to be character-driven, and that didn’t happen.

I loved the first half of this, but I did lose interest in the second half. I did think I would enjoy this as much as Dark Matter, but I didn’t. It was pretty thought provoking: I know exactly what I’d like to do over again (not telling you!) , just as you probably do. It wasn’t really that the science was too complicated. I think the book definitely explored the ramifications of such science and the consequences of such a chair. Events very rapidly spiralling out of control is I am sure an accurate reflection too. My interest just faded..

Outstanding! Phew! I’ve read other books by this author and this hit the spot too. What a ride. At times I had to rethink what I had read. Perfection.

I think I may have said this when I read Dark Matter, but Blake’s writing is like no other I have ever read before. A mix of mystery thriller and science fiction really sets a premise for a fantastic read and Blake executed it so fricking well!

After it is discovered that Helena’s memory chair is in fact much more than that, things suddenly take a huge turn for the worst. People are led to believe that a mysterious disease named the false memory syndrome is affecting their memory, when in actual fact they are time travelling and experiencing days, months and even years all over again with dyer consequences.

Blake uses science fiction to really throw your mind in every direction possible with this book. Just after it is discovered what capabilities Helena’s chair has, discussions turn to how it can be used to change the world by altering the past and rewriting history. Excitement rises as talk turns to how murders could be stopped, accidents could be prevented and even wars could be eradicated. However these exciting ideas are very quickly knocked off their pedal stool when it occurs to them that, if for example Hitler was killed before he could create so much damage (or even prevented from being born), this could mean your great grandparents never meant, resulting in you never being born.

I was left holding back tears a couple of times during my read. The mistakes made when both Helena and Barry try to resolve the problems result in some very devastating consequences which may never be rectified.

I love how much you really have to think about what you’re reading with Recursion. If you have seen the film Inception (with Leonardo DiCaprio) than you might have an inkling what I’m talking about.

I wont talk anymore about the plot as I think readers should go into this book blind and with an open mind. I will however tell you to read carefully and take it all in, then I can guarantee you will be blown away. Recursion has incredible character development, a new and exciting idea for a plot and an explosive ending that will leave you craving more.

The Netflix adaptation is already on the cards which is amazing. I cant wait to share this incredible story with friends and family who are not so keen on reading!

My thanks to Pan Macmillan for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Recursion’ by Blake Crouch in exchange for an honest review.

As I started reading this a couple of days after the publication date, I elected to purchase its audiobook edition. This was well narrated by Jon Lindstrom and Abby Craden.

In November 2018 NYPD Detective Barry Sutton responds to a call relating to a woman threatening to jump from a building. As Barry tries to talk her down she warns him that he shouldn’t get too close as she is infected with FMS (False Memory Syndrome), a mysterious disease that torments its sufferers with memories of a life that they never lived. When he is unable to save her, Barry is tormented by the fear that he may have been exposed.

In October 2007 brilliant neuroscientist Helena Smith is frustrated by her lack of funding for an ambitious project to create a device that will allow people to preserve and revisit memories. She hopes it will aid those suffering with Alzheimer’s including her own mother. She is approached by a billionaire entrepreneur willing to bankroll her project though he attaches some strange conditions.

Crouch weaves together Barry’s and Helena’s stories in this stunning, mind-bending techno-thriller. It’s ridiculously good, intelligent and thought-provoking. It’s the kind of novel that is almost impossible to put down.

Highly recommended.

Recursion follows NYPD detective Barry Sutton and scientist Helena Smith, whose lives are enormously altered by ground-breaking technology that changes the way humans will think of the past, present, future and ultimately how our memories and minds envision each one – can a memory become our reality?
Recursion is the younger and fresher sibling of Minority Report and Inception, and for fans of those stories, this will be a must-read.

This is not an easily digestible read because the plot is mind-bending. If you aren't a science/technology person, like me, there will undoubtedly be moments of confusion, but it is understandable if you don’t overthink it.

Whilst I wasn’t entirely enamoured with Barry and Helena, or the any of the other characters on an appraisal-worthy-scale, Crouch managed to make this an emotional read by tapping into the emotion of personal tragedies – I didn’t care about the characters, but I cared about the misfortunes life handed them (I hope that makes sense).
Crouch also successfully captured a tone that reflected a “the end of the world as we know it” vibe. The real magnitude of the threats and implications the technological revelation led to, made this thrilling and obsessive.

My favourite element of this book is the way it gave my cognition a good exercise. It challenged me to think about things I don’t think about on a daily basis; science-y stuff, philosophical stuff and how I generally see the world as I know it: what more will we uncover via science? Have our scientific and technological break throughs been good or bad? Can we evolve beyond our destructive tendencies? Evolve beyond our limits?
This really does engage an existential thought process, weighing up the pros and cons of the story’s hypothetical development on a real-life application.

My least favourite aspects of this book were its tone and repetition. Toward the ending there was repetition that made me impatient for the story to end, because the plot just kept repeating itself over and over to a point where I felt it weakened the quality of the plot. Similarly, near the story’s end, I felt there was a terribly morbid tone that was not elevated enough to recover the melancholy that was created.

Overall, I read this within three days and I’m giving it 4 stars. I’m quite pleased I picked this up, because sci-fi isn’t my usual go-to genre. I didn’t love it, but I did enjoy it because it was thrilling and thought-provoking. I don’t know if I’d recommend this to non-sci-fi buffs like me, because I do think there were heavy-going moments of confusion. Maybe that’s just me, and I’m more than happy to admit I’m ignorant to all things physics. However, the philosophical and real-life consequences that Recursion explored, hit home with a thorough and emotional impact, that ensures this story is well worth reading and won’t be forgotten soon.
Thank you kindly to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an e-copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

Another mind-bending book from Blake Crouch. He does not fail to deliver another unique and interesting story after the amazing “Dark Matter”.

Helena is a young scientist who dreams about making a machine, or a chair, which can map ones memory. Her mother has dementia and is losing her memory so she is driven by this wish to help people like her. A young self-made millionaire approaches her one day and tells her that he is interested in funding her idea. Helena can’t believe her luck because everywhere else she was rejected. Over a couple of years they finally build that chair. But it turns out that it can much more than just collect memories.

Barry is a police officer and one day he gets a call to get to a woman who is sitting on top of a building and obviously want to end her life. She tells him about memories of a different life where she was married and had a little son. But she is leading a different life in reality and she can’t cope with that. Her last words before she jumps are “They erased my son”. This conversation haunts Barry and he begins to investigate.

This story is like “Dark Matter” an absolute mindf***. This is such an interesting idea and so cleverly worked out. It also makes completely sense. I enjoyed this book very much. The reason why I give only 4 stars is the same as with “Dark Matter”. Blake Crouch overdoes his stories a little bit. In “Dark Matter” there were too many worlds and it seems they only where there because he liked to invent them. Here it is with the timelines. At the end it drags a bit when they go again and again through the same timeline. But it is just a small complaint. This is a clever and entertaining mind-bending read.

Recursion by Blake Crouch

NYC cop Barry Sutton has been called to a rooftop. A woman is about to throw herself off and there is nothing that Barry can say that will make her change her mind – because the woman is afflicted with False Memory Syndrome. This new condition fills the sufferer’s mind with a whole host of other memories, as real as anything in their true lives. And sometimes reality just isn’t the same – a child now gone will be forever missed, a loving husband or wife now replaced. Some people just cannot cope and the suicide rate of FMS sufferers is high. And then, when Barry gets home, he gets a nosebleed, a telltale sign of infection. Barry is about to discover that the past is no longer behind him.

Blake Crouch’s Dark Matter enthralled me and is easily one of my favourite thrillers of all time. Not surprisingly, I was really keen to dive into Recursion. It did not disappoint. It’s every bit as good as Dark Matter and yet again Blake Crouch has demonstrated that he is indeed the heir to Michael Crichton, the previous and much-missed master of the techno thriller.

How to describe Recursion presents me with a bit of a challenge. I want to say no more about the plot than the brief introduction above because from simple beginnings it becomes mindbending. Blake Crouch is a genius for plotting this one the way that he has. A more complicated, twisty and knotted plot would be hard to imagine, with more paradoxes than you can shake a Schrödinger’s cat at. It is a joy to untangle. There is one moment early on that puzzled me a little but then a bit later on, when I’d been fully immersed in this curious universe, I had a Eureka moment! I’d worked it out. It’s worth taking your time to unravel this fabulous, gorgeously written narrative. It most definitely rewards.

I’m a huge fan of technothrillers, of clever puzzlers that tease with quantum physics, shifting time, conundrums and paradoxes. Recursion has all of these along with main characters that I really felt for, especially scientist Helena, a woman who goes through so much and still finds time to love, and Barry who is so brave when faced with losing everything. I loved this book and I urge you to read it and discover its strange, tortured and shattered world for yourself.

Other review
Dark Matter

Recursion is the twisty sci-fi thriller follow-up to the phenomenally successful Dark Matter and centres around memory and its modification. It's a complex, thought-provoking and intense story with all the action we've come to expect from Mr Crouch but it doesn't shy away from exploring many important topical issues either, such as — memory, reality, the difference between perception and reality, identity and technological advancements. This is what you call a mind-bending masterpiece and will give you all the feels; I certainly went through many different emotions throughout. Buckle up and enjoy the wild thrill ride.

This is such an astonishingly detailed thriller that by the conclusion you are both exhausted and exhilarated as if you have been on the journey with the characters. Crouch weaves together several separate plotlines in an effortless manner and right from the opening pages you are immersed in the world. Deeply impressive and imaginative, this is the type of book you abandon everything in favour of and with suspense and tension building I was on the edge of my seat awaiting what would happen. It should really come with a warning telling readers not to pick it up unless they have enough time to finish it in a single sitting. Many thanks to Macmillan for an ARC.

This review will go live on 8 July:

Memories. They are strange things, aren’t they? We gather them throughout life, we remember the big events, and the painful moments, and the small joys, and heaps of random details we don’t even care about, and for every little thing we remember, we forget a hundred other things.
Human memory works in mysterious ways. You remember things you had forgotten when a song comes on the radio, or you smell a certain scent, or someone says something completely innocuous, and somehow you’re catapulted right back. Can you imagine what it would be like to suddenly have memories that are yours, but are not yours, all at the same time? Like all you know is having been single and childless and suddenly you remember having been married with children. This is where Recursion starts, with an affliction that seems somewhat contagious in that it often occurs in various people in the same family or group of friends: False Memory Syndrome (FMS).

Barry, NYC cop, is faced with FMS when he tries to stop a woman from committing suicide because she suddenly has all these memories of a life she has not lived, a better life than the one she’s leading, a more fulfilling one, but one she can’t get back to and it’s just too much to take.

Alternating with Barry’s POV, there’s Helena’s, a neuroscientist who’s passionate about creating a way to record memories, so they can be preserved for people like her mum, who has Alzheimer’s and is slowly losing herself. Helena only wants to help people, she’s acting from a totally altruistic starting point, but that doesn’t mean her invention is safe and won’t be abused…

Before long, memories are no longer the focal point, it’s time itself: what if you could use an memory to go back in time?

Start to finish this is a riveting read! I noticed that a few people put Recursion on their “Twenty books of summer”-list, and that’s a great idea because this is an awesome story, but beware that this might not be the best relaxing-by-the-pool book! It had my mind whirring and working overtime! I won’t lie, all the sciency stuff went straight over my head, I do not have a scientific / mathematical bone in my body! But just like with Dark Matter, I simply do not care! I love all the theories, even though I have no idea if they’re rooted in actual present-day science, I simply enjoy reading them, and seeing how the main characters try to make sense of them. I will tell you though, that the idea for Recursion stemmed from the fact that scientists succeeded in implanting a false memory in a mouse. Crouch was also fascinated by déjà vus and the whole Mandela Effect. If you don’t know what that is, please Google it! There are loads of examples of false memories, things loads of people all over the world clearly remember, but never happened or never were the way they (I!!!) remembered. It’s baffling!

While you don’t have to be a science nerd to enjoy this one, it obviously helps if you’re interested in the concept of memories, déjà vus and the whole time debate (is it an arrow flying straight ahead, or is it more fluid than that?). Recursion has the exact same vibe and atmosphere as Dark Matter. (By the way, if you haven’t read Dark Matter, I highly recommend you check it out!) I adored Dark Matter, and Recursion ticked all those boxes too. Besides the science and the thriller aspect, Crouch once again presents us with his specific kind of romance, and the message that love conquers, well perhaps not all, but at the very least a lot.

One last remark: Recursion is not a novel to dip into and out of. I read it in two sittings, and I highly recommend you do the same. Had I read just a few chapters a day, I would have completely lost the plot… But maybe that says more about me than about the plot 😉

Any which way you read it, Recursion is mind-bending, mind-boggling food for thought! Highly recommended!

Many thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for the free eARC! All opinions are my own and I was not paid to give them.

If you want to know more about Recursion and the ideas behind it, check out this Q&A with Blake Crouch on Goodreads.

New York City cop Barry Sutton is called to a high rise building, where a woman is threatening to throw herself off a balcony. As the first cop on the scene, he tries to talk her down, but this woman is a victim of the rapidly spreading phenomenon dubbed FMS (False Memory Syndrome) - she has memories of a life completely different to the one she is living and no longer knows what is real and what is not - and he is unable to stop her.

Victims of FMS are being driven mad by the memories of lives they have not lived: memories which are often of traumatic events and even death. The suicide rate is growing and people are becoming scared that they may catch the disease too.

Neuro-scientist Helena Smith is obsessed with memory. Her own mother has dementia and Helen is consumed with the need to perfect technology that will allow precious memories to be recorded, so they could be experienced again. Just as Helena is in desperate need of more funding to perfect her methods, a mysterious benefactor comes forward to offer her unlimited resources to continue her work.

As Barry pursues his investigation into FMS, he comes up against an opponent that will stop at nothing to get what he wants. It will take Barry and Helena to work together to protect the fabric of the past and save the World from destruction.

This book is amazing and really difficult to review without giving away spoilers - which I am not going to do - but I will try to explain what it is about!

It is not just a book about memory. It is about the nature of reality and how we experience it.

It starts with the premise that the reality we perceive is always made of of moments which have already passed, because our brain cannot process the stimuli received by our senses instantly.
It follows, therefore, that our own reality is actually made up of "memories" of the stimuli we have received. Ok, still with me?

But what is "the past"? This is something we have already experienced, right? Or is it just that we have created a framework on our experiences that forces us to process them as having followed a temporal sequence. Is Time just a construct that we have imposed upon ourselves to help us process the world around us?

What if you could access the memories you have stored in your brain and experience them as if you were in that exact moment again? Would it be possible to fully immerse yourself in "the past" again?

I know this sounds mind-boggling and quite frankly, it is! However, Blake Crouch has managed to craft a wonderfully complex and thrilling story that makes you, not only question the nature of reality itself, but also to do it as part of a tense and gripping story-line too.

I absolutely loved Crouch's previous book, Dark Matter. It is one of my absolute favourite books about alternative realities, so Recursion was going to have to be pretty damn good to follow in its footsteps.
I can categorically say that Recursion has not been a disappointment. This is a much more complex book than Dark Matter, but Crouch has handled this follow-up with aplomb. Bravo!

This is my second Blake Crouch book and it was as exciting as the first, I don’t read that much sci fi, but I have really enjoyed reading this. The story idea is genius, well written and really keeps you on your toes.

Overall a fantastic read, pick it up and give it a read, you won’t be disappointed.

A thrilling, brutal and action packed sci-fi, which made me feel ALL the emotions!

If you liked 'DARK MATTER' then I think you should definitely read this mind bending tale of time and memory.

This story blew my mind! How does Blake Crouch come up with this shit?! Like he must be some kind of genius! I still haven't got my mind fully wrapped around some of the events in this book!

I wont spoil you, as this is best enjoyed when you don't know what's coming! All you need to know is that the story starts off with Detective Barry Sutton trying to stop a woman suffering from false memory syndrome from jumping off a building. She says to him "my son has been erased." Barry starts to investigate this, and finds that there are many other people also suffering from this.
Parallel to this is Helena Smith, who is trying to develop a way to preserve the memories of people suffering from Alzheimer's syndrome, inspired by her own mother who has the disease. We go back and forth between the two characters, and also go between different timelines, but mainly 2007 and 2018.

I really liked both characters, and really felt for them when they were going through some of the most testing times. At one point I was devastated for them and for everyone else!
This book really made me think about memories, and how they define us. It made me think about morality, and how we all live our lives on such different sets of rules. It also had many touching moments, and the characters had such real issues.
I'm going to be honest, there was a point where I couldn't see how this book was going to be resolved, or where it was going to go next! But that's why Mr Crouch is in charge here and not me!

Overall, a brilliant book which made me think about how flawed our species is. Oh and check out the acknowledgments at the end....chilling!

Helena is a incredibly talented woman working in the field of neuroscience. She has developed groundbreaking technology that she hopes will help map and preserve the memories of people in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. People like her mother. Meanwhile, in New York a Police Officer, Barry, is called to a high rise building where a woman is threatening to jump. The woman tells Barry that she cannot go on living because she is plagued by vivid memories of another life that she cannot possibly have lived. She is not alone. FMS, or False Memory Syndrome, is a growing problem and nobody has any idea why, yet.

This is another mind-bending marvel from Blake Crouch. It is not exactly time travel, more memory travel and the action is exhausting at times but exhilarating too. A thrill ride that will get inside your head and completely blow your mind. Fantastic!

3.5 rounded up

Having read Dark Matter a while back and loved it it was a no brainer for me to request this when I saw Blake Crouch had a new book coming out. A twisty sci-fi thriller about tampering with memory? Sign me up!

The premise: Barry Sutton, a cop in NYC, is called to a potential suicide where the woman threatening to end her life is afflicted with False Memory Syndrome, a new and sketchy disorder where the sufferer has two sets of memories and is unsure which are real and which are not. From here on Barry becomes embroiled in the world of this syndrome, crossing paths with Helena, a neuroscientist who has devoted her life to creating a technology which can preserve memories - her research inspired by her mother who is suffering from dementia and remembering less and less each day. Their worlds intertwine and the technology Helena has created is soon used for means other than it was originally intended.

This is the literary equivalent of comfort food - super fast-faced with lots of twists and turns, kind of clever but also light and accessibly written. Perfect for what I was looking for when I picked up Recursion last night.

The only slight negative is that this isn't quite as good as Dark Matter, at least in my opinion, anyway. While the first 60-something percent was super fast paced and had me gripped it lost me a little bit nearing the end. There was a LOT going on, and I found it a bit tricky to keep track of all the different timelines.

Phenomenonal! Yet again Blake Crouch takes the concept of multiple lines (be they timelines, worldlines or storylines) and weaves them into speculative fiction that is totally immersive and immediately compelling.
I love the humanity balance, hugely destructive on the large scale and wonderfully compassionate on the personal. The characters are beautifully layered with so many lives lived, some within only a few hours. And the pain, both physical and psychological, is rendered exquisitely.
Speculative fiction is fast becoming my favourite genre, and this is one of the best yet!

Fun, if rather silly, high-octane thriller. The writing isn't great but it is definitely exciting! I would recommend to fans of the author's previous work and hard SF.

This book was masterfully and brilliantly written. A very complex plot unfolded which although I could follow most of it, I must admit I did struggle to understand some of the more complicated scientific processes but that was my issue and not the writers.

Many thanks to Netgalley for this digital review copy. I wanted to thank them first, because after reading this book I have a little more faith again that Science Fiction 'as I know it' isn't dead. I started reading SF in 1970 or thereabouts; read great books, went to conventions, met with great authors. Until Fantasy seemed to take over. I have nothing against Fantasy, it's just not entirely my cup of tea.
Having said that, I am very happy to have read Recursion. A very well written, thought-provoking story, with a good balance between Science and Fiction, interesting characters and most of all, a story that sets you thinking.
What if... you just wanted to invent something to help the people you love? What if... someone else took your invention and turned it into something wicked? What if... you could go back in time and make things right again?
Time travel stories are very hard to write but Blake Crouch gives us a time travel story that actually works. I would not be surprised to see this book nominated for several prizes next year.