Recursion by Blake Crouch (2020) – At any moment, we are the shadow cast by our memories. Everything we believe about the world we occupy sits on our memories of what has gone before. Which makes “False Memory Syndrome” all the more terrifying. Is it a disease that attacks the brain, filling it with memories of a life the victim never lead, or some even worse. A scientist and a cop with NYPD try to answer that question, and the even more awful ones lined up behind it.
One of the core stories in the science fiction canon is about trying to save the world, only to lead it toward ultimate destruction. Without giving away any more of the twists and turns that best-selling author Blake Crouch has in store for you, that lies at the center of this book. With the Covid-19 pandemic still fresh in our minds, imagine if the ability to remove human suffering came into your hands. Would you refuse to use it? What if there serious repercussions to its use? What if…? That is the center of great stories, especially great science fiction stories.
Crouch brings us a blend of science fiction and thriller. The result is a book that picks you up and carries you off. What happens is your fundamental understanding of who you are is under attack? The author isn’t trying for something easy here. The story is complex, folding back over itself. “Recursion” is looking at fundamental issues about who each of us are, and how we function as human beings. All at a relentless pace.
This book grabbed me and wouldn’t let go.
Rating – **** Recommended
Stories Are My Life 