Blake Crouch, the author of The Wayward Pines Trilogy is no stranger to writing sci-fi mystery thrillers as we have read in his bestselling book Dark Matter. Recursion, his latest book, came out in 2019 and since then it has gone to become a bestseller. Not only that, it has been intriguing to sci-fi lovers and critics alike. Recursion, if you look at it in a dictionary, means the repeated application of a procedure/ function or algorithm until a specified condition is met. At that time the rest of each repetition is processed from the last one to the first. Recursion: Plot If you have read the book then you could relate this definition of Recursion with the plot of Recursion too. But if you haven’t then we are here to give our thoughts on it that may convince you to give it a try. Barry Sutton, an NYPD detective and Helena Smith, a neuroscientist, are the protagonists of this story. The novel is set in 2018 when Barry Sutton gets a call about a lady trying to jump off a building. She suffers from FMS (False Memory Syndrome) that has plagued the world. Like several others, she, too, has the memory of a totally different life than the one she is living at the moment. Even after trying his best to convince her not to end herself, he fails and she eases off the edge. Helena Smith is in her late thirties, unable to complete her research and in dire need of money, gets an offer that she couldn’t refuse.
Barry carries on his investigation about FMS that leads to several dark truths. Helena, too, is not convinced with what she is seeing and thus begins her journey to uncover the truth. The name and characters How does Recursion justify its title? Recursion, this time, is not in a mathematical problem or an algorithm but it is with the memories. The same memories that we hold so dear to our hearts that have the proof of our good times as well as the bad ones. Barry Sutton is a curious character, who likes to get to the bottom of things but not without his flaws. When given the chance to change his destiny, he jumped without much thought and even liked it at first. And, why not? Who would not want to erase their worst memories and fill them with all the happiness and joy in the world? Helena is different from Barry in a lot of ways but has a similar goal. She had created something that would change the science of memories forever. But her Patron might have some different ideas for her technology. And, that is what triggers her to stop things before it is too late. Just like Barry, she tries to make her past different than it actually was. Crouch deserves all the praise he got Crouch has executed his dual storyline format with such ease that you won’t get angry or frustrated once the focus shifts between the two protagonists.
He has dived deeper into human emotions, making his unthinkable story alive with stories of grief, loss and joy. You could relate with the loss of a loved one, an opportunity of the lifetime going down the drain and several more. The science behind the technology used in Recursion is researched and even though it is fiction, you might think it can happen. A flaw in perfection But some rational minds would see through it and say that it is a little similar to Crouch’s previous book Dark Matter. It might be true to an extent as both of them have a similar background and some common background, like loss of an opportunity, Both of
them delve on what if? A little too much to my liking. This might be its biggest flaw. Conclusion Above all things, Recursion is a mystery and a page-turner in every aspect, from the start to the end. You will not be disappointed if you are a sci-fi lover. Even if you are not, it is a great way to start your journey as it has tons of thrill, mystery and emotions to satisfy your literary urge.
Yeh v theek hai!.. Hmaare boba ka naam gayab kr diya gaya. 🤧