Review by bjoly2 -- Timewise by Robert Leet

[bjoly2]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Timewise" by Robert Leet.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Timewise by Robert Leet is a fictional tale that dives into the depths of mathematics, physics, and time. The story follows a young Ron Larsen, an outcast with no family ties, as he develops an unlikely relationship with decades older physicist Regina Russo. Regina sets up an agreement with Ron that as long as he performs well and gets passing grades, she will fund his education. As the story unfolds over the following decades, the reader learns more about Russo's past and her scientific theories.

I give this book 4 out of 4 stars. It is exceptionally well-edited and seamlessly combines highly technical scientific concepts with a storyline that focuses on relationships. Leet did an incredible job of using dialogue to break down extremely challenging scientific theories to a level where the reader can begin to grasp some of them. I struggled to understand certain concepts but felt that the story's overall enjoyment was not dependent on my ability to break down each one.

My favorite part about this story is how it unexpectedly developed into quite a thriller. The FBI becomes involved, and without giving anything away, it turns into quite a cat and mouse game where one side clearly outwits the other. I also enjoyed the in-depth discussions on time travel and the implications of potentially trying to alter the universe's natural course of events.

My least favorite part of this book is how the protagonist Ron, seemed to pine endlessly over Regina, often professing his love in his mind. But he never made his feelings known or knew if she reciprocated them. While Ron and Regina maintained an excellent working relationship over many years, it felt like a potential missed romantic opportunity.

I also struggled in certain sections of the book to keep up with the scientific explanations and felt the author assumed a certain level of scientific savvy. For example, at one point, Regina says, "Think of an analogy to a TV screen. You know that a cathode ray tube consists of an array of individual pixels, right?" to which Ron responds, "'Sure.' I hoped she wouldn't go into detail about something so elementary." While this might be elementary for the narrator, it certainly wasn't to me and left me feeling a bit subpar in my ability to understand the discussion.

I recommend this book to anyone seeking to challenge their understanding of time and the universe. It poses a lot of questions and requires a deeper level of thought than most fiction books. While you don't necessarily need a scientific leaning to enjoy the book, it makes it easier to get through some more detailed explanations.

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Timewise
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[Ndiviwe]

The fictional time travel aspect of the novel sounds fantastic and would have me hooked to the book. The phyics jargon might be a hard no no for me but it might be a suspenseful page-turner for someone who has a deeper understanding for physics topics.