Recursion

Starred review from April 15, 2019
Cutting-edge science drives this intelligent, mind-bending thriller from bestseller Crouch (Dark Matter). Neuroscientist Helena Smith, whose mother has dementia, has devoted herself to studying the biology of memory. She seeks “a way to save memories for deteriorating brains that can no longer retrieve them.” Her struggle to find grants for her work ends in 2007 when inventor and philanthropist Marcus Slade offers her carte blanche to pursue her work on his facility located on a repurposed oil rig in the Pacific Ocean—unlimited funding, whatever computing power she needs, and a team of highly skilled scientists. Helena’s research leads to some disturbing results. Meanwhile, in 2018 Manhattan, a woman jumps to her death from a tall building after telling the NYPD detective trying to save her that she has false memories of being married to a man whose first wife jumped from the same building 15 years earlier. Crouch effortlessly integrates sophisticated philosophical concepts—such as the relationship of human perceptions of what is real to actual reality—into a complex and engrossing plot. Michael Crichton’s fans won’t want to miss this one. Agent: David Hale Smith, InkWell Management.

Because scientist Helena Smith and detective Barry Sutton relive certain events in their lives repeatedly but slightly differently, narrators Abby Craden and Jon Lindstrom get to create "alternative takes" of their performances in this audiobook. Happily for listeners, both the characters and the narrators' performances grow more nuanced with repetition. Helena's mother has Alzheimer's. In a failed attempt to create a tool to capture her mother's memories, Helena has instead developed a chair that sends a person back to a memorable event in their own past. Predictably, it falls into the wrong hands. The plot tropes can require listeners to suspend disbelief so long they may get tired of holding on. However, the story grips listeners through the strength of its human relationships, a strength the narrators also share. K.W. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine