 First edition cover | |
| Author | Blake Crouch |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Christopher Brand |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genres | |
| Publisher | Crown Publishing Group |
Publication date | June 11, 2019 |
| Media type | Hardback |
| Pages | 326 |
| ISBN | 978-1-5247-5978-0 |
Recursion is a thriller science fiction novel by American writer Blake Crouch, first published in the United States in June 2019 by the Crown Publishing Group, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House.
Recursion alternates between two timelines: Barry Sutton, a NYPD detective in 2018, and Helena Smith, a neuroscientist in 2007. Barry fails to stop a woman from jumping off a building to her death. She claimed to have detailed false memories of another life that are not hers. Barry investigates and uncovers a new condition called False Memory Syndrome, which cannot be explained and is spreading. Helena is conducting research to record people's memories so that when their brains start to deteriorate and dementia sets in, they can retrieve them. But her research grant is coming to an end and she has been unable to secure additional funding.
Barry's investigations lead him to a suspicious place called "Hotel Memory". There he is forced to submit to a procedure in which he recalls an incident in his past when he had his last conversation with his daughter before she was killed in a hit-and-run. But he finds that not only are the memories crystal clear, he has travelled back in time and is able to prevent the accident. Helena's dream comes true when a philanthropist, Marcus Slade offers her unlimited funds to continue her research. But she soon realizes that Marcus has ulterior motive. He instructs Helena to build a "memory chair" that enables people to go back in time and relive their memories.
In a starred review, Publishers Weekly described Recursion as an "intelligent, mind-bending thriller".[1] It stated: "Crouch effortlessly integrates sophisticated philosophical concepts into a complex and engrossing plot."[1] Kirkus Reviews called Recursion an "exciting, thought-provoking mind-bender".[2] It said the book is a stimulating exploration of grief and memory and how they define who we are.[2] Rebecca Vnuk wrote in Booklist that readers may not understand the physics behind the story, "but, in a peculiar way, that's part of the fun."[3]
In a review of the book in The New York Times, American author Victor LaValle described Recursion as "a heady campfire tale of a novel built for summer reading".[4] He said the journey it follows "is a gloriously twisting line that regularly confounded my expectations."[4] While all those paranormal podcasts are often rejected as fringe entertainment, LaValle stated "that doesn’t diminish my enjoyment of these shows." He explained that "I'm a skeptic, though not quite an unbeliever".[4] Novels like Recursion tend to be dismissed for similar reasons, but LaValle opined, "I believe they capture the disquiet of millions; they broadcast at an anxious frequency. The sense that our country’s center is not holding pulses through the novel. The fear that we are losing our collective memory, of a stable nation for instance, doesn't read to me like fantasy."[4]
Recursion was translated into German by Rainer Schmidt as Gestohlene Erinnerung and published by Goldmann in March 2020.[5] It was also translated into Portuguese as Recursão? and published by Intrinseca in January 2020.[6]