Replay by Ken Grimwood

Genre: Fantasy 

Format: Paperback 

Pages: 311

Start Date: 

End Date: July 22nd, 2023 

Overall: ★★★ 

Character Development: ★★★★

Ending: ★ ★ ★

Recommend: Yes 

🚨 Contains Spoilers, Continue at Your Own Risk 🚨

     This is probably my first fantasy book that I have ever read. A friend gave this to me to borrow, and I was slightly surprised when I saw it was fantasy. When I think of fantasy, I think along the lines of magical spells and flying animals. This book definitely gets you thinking, though I’m a bit on the fence if it is in a nostalgic way or saddening. 

     I enjoyed the fact that the book seemed to come full circle, in multiple ways, for multiple characters. I’ll start with Jeff and Linda. Even though it’s clear in the start of the book that Jeff and Linda are heading towards divorce, Jeff does eventually end up getting a great life with Linda in one of his lifetimes. Of course, it doesn’t come right away, but I think it was maybe the fourth time he gets to re-live his life they end up together. This time, it seems close perfect. I really appreciated that, through all of the different timelines and stories for Jeff, Jeff and Linda had one version of a truly happy ending for them.

     In turn, the author also gives us a happy ending for Jeff and Pamela. The entire time reading this book I wasn’t sure if I really wanted Jeff with Linda or Pamela. Pamela was definitely winning the race when all I knew about Linda was from their rocky marriage introduction. I definitely couldn’t wait for Sharla to be over with, that’s for sure. Not only did you have a happy ending for Jeff and Pamela, you have several. You have all the scenarios…almost like Grimwood covered all of his bases, so no reader was left wanting more for those two. 

     The ending does leave you in a cliffhanger….Yes, Linda and Jeff are back to being rocky, but Linda wants to work on it. Jeff doesn’t die in this last reality; he gets to live the rest of his life now. Does he leave Linda for Pamela? Does he stay and work things out with Linda? You decide.

     With each timeline, the characters are aware of their past lifetimes. Jeff tries several times to escape death before coming to a realization that it was going to be inevitable. With that being said, did you feel like it was almost out of character when Jeff and Pamela decided to go public to find a cause for their replays? I did find it odd that Jeff realized lifetimes ago that death was coming no matter what. I understand the initial underlying intention was to try to find a reason for the gaps or skews that were starting to happen. It almost seemed like filler story, though. Both had enough past experiences to know that they weren’t going to alter the future so it seems to me that this entire journey was just going to run its course.

     Proof upon proof was provided by Jeff and Pamela that they weren’t psychic, they were from the future. Do you think you could ever believe someone if you were being presented those same things by an individual like Jeff and Pamela did with their audience? For me, it’s a no. Maybe it’s the logical part of my brain that just says no way, that’s too unrealistic. Maybe it’s my lack of imagination that something like that could totally happen…..which, for me, is a hard no, it can’t. I would probably end up either trying to get as far away from them as possible or get them professional help as kindly as possible.

     

     Did you find it odd that after failing to save President Kennedy from getting assassinated that Jeff doesn’t ever try to alter any other course of history? Yet, he tried to escape death multiple times before he gave that up? I do think it’s interesting that he seemed to accept and become complacent by the fact that he wasn’t going to save the president, yet the timeline he and Pamela were basically held against their will by the government all those things in the world did actually changed. Maybe I missed something that allowed one some things to change and not others, but seemed like a bit of a miss to me. I think, personally, it either boils down to Jeff is selfish or fearful.