Replay by Ken Grimwood

Replay
by Ken Grimwood
Pub. Date: August 1988
Genre: Fiction
320pp

Synopsis from BN.com:
Click Here

Why I Picked It:
I had a dream the other day about my high school boyfriend. This happens periodically, not just with this boyfriend, but with some element from my past that troubles me or that I wish I could do differently (i.e., avoid altogether). After awaking from this particular dream though, I was left with quite a guilty conscience from some of my dreaming meanness that stayed with me for several days. Anyway, the book is tackling the question "What if you could live your life over again?" I don't think I'd go back and do anything differently in regard to this boyfriend, except maybe end the relationship sooner, but I would definitely do other things differently. I like the idea of taking all the good stock tips back with me... :) The whole idea of time travel has always been intriguing to me (loved The Time Traveler's Wife), and I immediately deposited this book into my cart at - yes, you guessed it - Costco. (How do I get a job in the book selection department? What would be better than THAT? Getting paid to read and select books for the Costco customers.... Wow - can you say, Dream Job??)

My Review:
In case you didn't click the link to BN.com, let me briefly explain the premise of this novel. Jeff Winston, a 43-year-old radio journalist, dies of a heart-attack and wakes up back at Emory University as an 18-year-old student. Reliving his life with intact memories of his life, he capitalizes upon the information that he has with a series of miraculously accurate gambles thrusting him into financial windfalls. So, 25-years later, he dies again from a heart-attack only to find himself again 18-years-old. Over and over again, he finds that while he continually changes the path of his life, he is unable to change his death.

I have to say that this book is even better than I expected. I don't think everyone I know would like it, but the author makes an amazing exploration of the idea and evolution of the character as he is redeposited into his 18-year-old self, time and time again. Taking back with him each time, new lessons, new purposes, sometimes merely new binges for self-destruction, but typically new approaches to living that life...

I enjoyed how the author revealed more and more about Jeff Winston each time he dies. Characters I didn't like much the first time, I sometimes grew to love, others I continued to dislike. I even really disliked the main character for one or two of his incarnations, although I understood that he was feeling quite a futility with his existence. No matter what he did to try to make the world a better place (i.e., try to prevent the assassination of JFK) it would happen regardless. And then he finds others like him... But like usual, I'd hate to give away too much, so I won't expand any further.

If I didn't have small children to attend to in the morning, I would've stayed up all night to finish this one. Instead, in order to finish it today, I was able to do most of my chores while the kids were awake and I stole away to my reading spot during naptime...

Sadly, the author died in 2003.... Or did he?