4 out of 4 stars
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Our mistakes make us who we are. Our burns and scars remind us of what we’ve overcome and survived. Our regrets are our most thorough teachers. Few are the souls who have never wished that in a critical moment they had made a different choice. Everyone has at some time said, “I wish I could go back, knowing what I know now.” The phrase itself proves that the terrible experiences, the mistakes, and the regrets are indeed valuable. Perhaps invaluable, even when the results are unfortunate and lifelong.
In The Watchmaker’s Doctor, an Erase and Rewind novella by G. M. T. Schuilling, a low-spirited and disconsolate woman named Anaya finds herself simultaneously snatched back from a sudden death and gifted with the chance to turn the hands of time back to the day of her life’s biggest regret and give herself another chance. All while keeping the memories and lessons of the choices of her previous life.
With one last advantage (or disadvantage, depending on which way the wind is blowing) as Gregory—the watchmaker—informs her. The precise moment of her death in this life will also be the exact time she will meet her death in her new life.
A chance to go back to her youth and try again, armed with all this knowledge? The possibilities are endless, as are the unforeseen consequences.
Anaya is a remarkable character. When meeting her in her first life at the age of thirty-five, she seems tired and sad and unmotivated. Her past haunts her, and her attempts to carve out a better life by becoming a doctor have not led her to fulfillment or redemption. She seems consistently disorganized and always running late. Anaya-the-doctor is a woman for whom time is forever running out. Then she is suddenly seventeen years old again, and Anaya-the-teenager is revitalized and full of hope and determination and persistence. She is not the selfish, willful adolescent she had been—she cares about her loved ones more than herself. Not just in thought, but action, as she is careful to build her new life to include those she had abandoned or forgotten the first time around. The Bipolar II that is the constant specter in her past, present, and alternating future was very well-written. Anaya takes to heart that she is “not the best physician for herself” and asks for and accepts help early her second time around. The confidence she has in managing her disorder, to never allow it to be a barrier or limitation in her life is profound and uplifting.
The other characters were outstanding as well. Well-developed and well-written. Even those with whom we could not spend much time, such as the mysterious Gregory, left a tantalizing imprint. Anaya’s family had a great deal of personality, and her friends show love and compassion.
I found myself liking and respecting Anaya as the story progressed. She shows high intelligence—not in what she knows, but in how she applies it. Her “doctor’s brain” is referenced many times, the knowledge still instrumental even though she has not chosen a path in medicine for her new life. She even researches local history for the new town she moves to later, displaying a love of learning and appreciation for deeper meaning and connection. I also love the way she samples her surroundings with all her senses, from what she hears to what she feels. It was a pleasure to experience the story through her.
My only nitpick is that I would like to have a better explanation for Gregory's marvelous watch. A greater understanding of how he was able to make a timepiece control his or someone else's timeline, the magic or science behind it all. My curiosity to know more about the world where this watch exists is more than a little piqued.
This novella would be a thought-provoking read for any new adult, just making their youthful mistakes for the first time. Perhaps also for people who have been adults for a while, who well know the feeling of wistfully looking back. It was a good, smooth, reading experience, with no roughness to its editing to jar the flow. I rate this novella, without qualm, four out of four stars. Highly, highly recommended.
******
The Watchmaker’s Doctor
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