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A Shortcut in Time Hardcover – January 4, 2003

3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 55 ratings

Charles Dickinson's novels and short stories have won widespread acclaim for their deft characterization, humanity, and humor. Newsday described him as "a writer thoroughly in command of his art," while the Chicago Tribune wrote "he can surprise us at almost every turn."

Now Dickinson slips beyond the bounds of mundane realism to create a poignant fantasy that bears comparison to the work of Jack Finney and Jonathan Carroll.

Euclid, Illinois, is a town of many shortcuts, between houses, through orchards, and across fields. Josh Winkler, a local artist and longtime resident, knows these irregular pathways well, but is thoroughly taken aback when a hasty dash down a familiar walk deposits him fifteen minutes in the past--literally. At first, Josh is more intrigued than alarmed by this accidental time travel. Then a lost young woman appears, claiming to be from 1908 . . . .

As his life, his family, his town, and even history itself begin to unravel, Josh gradually realizes that his only salvation may lie in A Shortcut Time.

Charles Dickinson has written a moving and unforgettable book about the way the past can affect the present as well as, sometimes, the other way around.
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Author of such imaginative novels as Waltz in Marathon and Crows, Dickinson is a splendid writer who has yet to reach the audience he deserves. After a decade's hiatus, he edges close to sci-fi in this psychologically rich and engrossing novel about time travel. Reminiscent of Jack Finney's Time and Again, but with its own distinctive flair, the story begins with a subtle, clever twist on time-travel tropes. The hero, Josh Winkler, discovers he has the ability to move just 15 minutes backward in time. Unlike previous fictional chrononauts, he soon has his whole small town of Euclid, Ill., talking about his exploit, some believing, most not. Josh is a hopeful if unsuccessful artist. His wife, Flo, is a hard-working, family-supporting pediatrician, and their daughter, Penny, is a typical teenager. After Josh's unexpected temporal adventures, his life begin to unravel. He eventually manages to go back 80 years and encounters a mysterious 15-year-old girl, Constance Morceau, herself an unsuspecting traveler from 1908, whose plight is poignant. The narrative tension increases dramatically as her apparently hopeless situation becomes clearer. The reader shares Josh's highs and lows in a time-twisting game of blind man's buff over which he has little control. Dickinson's trick is intertwining stories, for Josh's own daughter is also transported back three generations, and he learns she will die in the influenza epidemic after WWI unless he can get her out. The conclusion to this intricate and sophisticated time paradox puzzle is unexpected yet logical. This is a low-key gem.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Perhaps the ageless allure of time travel stems from the desire to go back and "set things straight" or "get it right this time," itself born of stubborn resistance to the unstoppability of time. Yet modern science speaks of gateways in time that could conceivably allow really going back. Science can't, of course, predict the consequences of doing so. Quiet Euclid Heights, Illinois, is home to Josh, a painter; his doctor-wife Flo; and their daughter, Penny. Built with irregular pathways as shortcuts from one end of town to the other, Euclid Heights also provides a shortcut in time. A young woman suddenly appears, sodden despite the bright heat of the day, and claiming to be living in 1908. Josh might never have taken her seriously had he not accidentally "traveled" the same path a quarter-hour into the past. Can he help Constance return to her time and go back to reverse his brother's fate? In the manner of Jonathan Carroll, Dickinson conjures a notably mundane environment, then makes it extraordinary. Whitney Scott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Forge Books; First Edition (January 4, 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0765305798
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0765305794
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.38 x 1.01 x 9.62 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 55 ratings

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3.8 out of 5 stars
55 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2003
    I love time-travel novels, especially when they're character-centered, and free of the space-travel mumbo-jumbo you find in a lot of science fiction. Over the years, I've seen a lot of time-travel stories compared to the works of Jack Finney, and without question, they fell short, sometimes miserably.
    So when I saw yet another blurb on the jacket mentioning Finney, I was skeptical, but as always, willing to investigate. I'm glad I did. In this novel, Mr. Dickinson writes about everyday life, filtered through a bit of the fantastic. It's less like Finney's _Time and Again_, and more like the short-story gems found in his collection _About Time_, with nods to material in _Three By Finney_ (stuff worth reading, if you haven't).
    Sure, there are some plot holes (Richard Matheson is about the only time-travel writer I've read who scrupulously avoids them), but nothing to dampen your enjoyment of this unique little story. If you like gentle "Twilight Zone" types of tales and alternate histories (albeit on a much smaller scale here), you'll most likely appreciate what Dickinson has achieved in _A Shortcut in Time_.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2023
    I have read all of CD’s novels and many of his short stories. His body of work is very enjoyable and I highly recommend his books. This one uses the conceit of time travel, which authors have used before, even Stephen King in his great work on Kennedy, Jack Finney and of course The Time Traveller’s Wife just to name a few; but Dickinson does something different here, which for obvious reasons I won’t reveal. Personally I think it would make a fun movie.
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2013
    I love science fiction and I especially love time travel, but this book was just boring. The other reviewers are correct that the ending made me think that the author had to suddenly rush to the bathroom. But I was pretty bored during the whole thing. I did not find it funny or interesting, and the characters were universally unlikeable. I'm in a good mood, so I gave it a 2 star, but I'm really not sure why it is that high.
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2022
    Great time travel story
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2016
    Slow to start, but midway through it became a page turner. Full of twists and turns and well thought out!!!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2012
    I've been on a time travel ficton kick for about 5 years. None of the books I've read (&, believe me, there've been many) even approach the ability that Mr. Dickinson has to weave a wonderful, warm story such as this. The visits back in time were deeply evocative of the periods & the complexity of the story just sucked me right back to the past. The book left me with the feeling of wishing I'd lived back then & seriously doubting that the "benefits" of our current lives really are beneficial. I await with high anticipation Mr. Dickinson's next installment. I would also highly recommend all his other works as well--I've been enjoying my way thru all of them--he is a consistently brilliant writer!
    Sharon Bandhold
    Plattsburgh (NY) Public Library
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2004
    I really enjoyed this book. I thought the characters were well developed. I certainly did not guess the end to this book.

    Athough, I might have liked more details describing how the Main character's life changed I enjoyed this Hitchock like ending.

    I would recommennd this book. I have read many time travel stories and this was a good one.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2005
    Josh Winkler lives a good life. He has a 15 year old daughter Penny. His wife is a doctor which gives him the time to dabble with his art. His younger brother was injured when he was young and now is brain damaged. He wanders the streets of Euclid Heights, IL, in most ways, a bum. Oneday a teenage girl appears, barefoot, seemingly out of nowhere, wondering "what happened to Dash?" While treading the "perp walks" (perpendicular paths cut between steets) of Euclid Heights, during a burgeoning storm, Josh Winkler slips back in time 15 minutes. The two occurences are no coincidence. Josh tries to convince his family that he went back 15 minutes. His daughter tells her friends that her father went back 15 minutes. Soon, his wife's practice is suffering and Josh is a town joke. All the neighborhood kids are out on the perp walks trying to make themselves go back in time. The young girl that Josh saw that day soon shows up at his wife's practice as a ward of the state and claims to be from the year 1908. Over the next couple of weeks, the time traveling girl -- Constance Morceau -- befriends Josh's family as well as seeks to learn about her own future through old microfilm reels at the local library...a practice which Josh discourages. She is desperately trying to get back to 1908, not only because she misses her family, but also because the young man with whom she was with -- Dash -- is lynched in connection with her disappearance.

    This is the first work of Mr. Dickinson's I have read and I have to admit, that while it wasn't the best piece of time travel fiction I have I ever read, it certainly was an enjoyable read...especially after the rather long slow start. The reviews at the beginning of the book compared this it to some of Jack Finney's work. I would definitely have to agree. Like Finney's stories, Dickinson doesn't try to make time travel the focus of this book, instead it is about the lives of the characters (artist, doctor, etc.) and how this incredible event -- time travelling -- effects them...mostly in undesired ways. Overall, I would definitely read more of Mr. Dickinson's works...and I have already recommended this one to several people.
    6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Mr. John Frank Herbert
    4.0 out of 5 stars In Need of A Shortcut
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 22, 2007
    What a shame that this book took eighty or so pages to really get going, because from thereon the time travel aspect was thoroughly enjoyable.

    Josh Winkler finds a pathway through town, Euclid Heights, Illinois, that can transport you into the past or future. He finds a mystery girl turning up from 1908, and then it gradually builds up to the interesting bits.

    The ending leaves you a little surprised, though with time-travel you must expect things not to always remain the same when you get back to your own time.

    It certainly deserves a 4 star rating, and in the Time-Travel ratings it may not be the greatest tale of all time, but if you're a TT freak you shouldn't miss it by any means.
  • Harry Bosch
    4.0 out of 5 stars time travel fun
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 24, 2013
    I am a sucker for time travel stories which are based around normal everyday lives, with characters
    struggling to come to terms with their new situation.

    This was a fun tale and I was absorbed with the characters and the storyline.
    I read it through in three sittings.

    However, I have to agree with some other reviewers about the very rapid denouement. There should have been more linkage and storytelling to the incident that kicked the book off-the drownings. I am going to with-hold a star because of this.

    It was still a great read.
    Now read "Replay" by Ken Grimwood and "Timescape " by Greg Benford