10 books like The Time Traveler's Wife

Slaughterhouse-Five was the first book I read that showed me that science fiction and fantasy can truly go to unexpected places. I was head-over-heals charmed by Vonnegut’s voice and his unassuming protagonist bouncing around through time and space and nutty adventures—but what an amazing thing: the way Vonnegut worked his sci-fi premise into a masterpiece of satire that, at the bottom of it all, was about the very real firebombing of Dresden in World War II, something he had witnessed first-hand. One of my favorite books of all time.

The story unfolds somewhat mysteriously, in that WWII historians may be a bit confused. The annihilation of Dresden, Germany through intense fire-bombing by the allies leaves little hope that anyone could survive long, yet a young girl is moving through the neighborhoods unscathed. She steals books from the library of a rich, sophisticated lady who has all but surrendered to her fate. The premise provides a nice counter to the book burning by the Nazis in the years leading up to military action. Although the girl is hardly a military hero, her persistence and courage renders her a testament to the raw power of the human spirit. In her own way, she is defiant of the aggressors attacking her home and threatening her life.

The novella that gave birth to science fiction and introduced the world (and a very young me) to the magical concept of time travel. After hosting a dinner party, and via his “time machine” (a term coined by the author), the Time Traveller embarks on a journey to the year 802,701 when our Earth has evolved into a lush paradise seemingly void of industry. Humans have become fragile, docile, and childlike (the Eloi), lacking curiosity about their world or the discipline to maintain it or build upon it. They fear the night, but remain silent about their reason. The Time Traveller finally discovers the truth about their fears as fearsome subterranean creatures (the Morlocks) capture the Time Machine and set a trap to ensnare the Traveller. How did humanity evolve into such beings, he wonders, and will he ever be able to return home to tell his fantastic tale?… show more.

Every page of The Paper Palace is moving and evocative—the quintessential love triangle that had me torn between young, innocent love and mature, adult love. I’m a sucker for these tropes, so I sunk inside this story of then and now, shuffling through a range of emotions, just like the protagonist, Elle. That’s the best kind of book. When you feel alongside the characters. And the secret longing kept me turning pages until the climactic, tender ending. And that ending. It will keep you guessing. And discussing. And thinking about it. I still think about it.  

This is a whole different take on human cloning. Never Let Me Go depicts a world in which people are cloned to create organ donors for the sick, necessarily limiting the lifespan of the clones. It is the story of the passions, relationships, and emotions of the clones and their attempts to delay their fate. As with any book by Kazuo Ishiguro, this is beautifully written, and an insightful study of human nature.

Katniss Everdeen is a survivor: she can hunt, trade, and fight, doing whatever it takes to keep her family alive in the dystopian world of Panem. She takes the place of her younger sister in the fight to the death of the wildly popular "Hunger Games," which pits children against children. Although this series is considered to be for young adults, Suzanne Collins explores ideas from this world, including class imbalances, child soldiers, and the distraction of politically-inspired  “bread and circuses” entertainment. The brutality of this world explains Katniss's capabilities and her adaptability, and her imagination is only matched by her iron-cold will to live and keep her family safe.

This is a novel overflowing with mysterious overtones. Its tidal surge licks at the reader’s heels and lures us in. The story is told by Piranesi, who inhabits a place he calls the House. The House is composed of a series of vast rooms populated with marble statues, and, on the lower floor, an ocean is imprisoned. We are tasked with unraveling the world that guileless Piranesi inhabits. We don’t know how long he has lived there and neither does he. He has devised his own calendar system and tries to number the vast rooms of the House but we sense there is a lot he is misinterpreting. Why do I love this book? It sets out a trail of clues that eventually make sense of Piranesi’s nonsensical world. It is a puzzle to solve constructed of splendid images and doesn’t every mystery reader crave a juicy puzzle?

A Wrinkle in Time might be viewed more as sci-fi than fantasy, but to me, the two genres are inextricably linked. Wrinkle in Time is soft sci-fi, but there are definitely fantasy elements to it.

Again, the idea of parallel universes sucked me in and wouldn’t let go. I really enjoyed Meg and Calvin’s relationship, and especially liked that the popular athlete fell for the nerdy girl, completely going against stereotypes. I’m not much of one for relationship tropes; I like when things go against the grain, or pleasantly surprise you because you didn’t see it coming.

I read this book in the 7th grade. I immediately took it to school and read favorite passages aloud to any of my friends that would listen. I just thought the use of language was so clever, as was the way Adams introduces characters and situations in surrealistic fashion. There is a lot of the humor that went way over my middle school-aged head, but what landed was hilarious. I would eventually come to crave books that had more plot and grounded stories; but I have always loved Adams’ writing style. 

OK, I admit, I’m cheating a little with this one because the plot doesn’t technically mess with time, but the storytelling itself does since the narrator is remembering events that happened in the past. This is one of those Big Ending Plot Twist stories so I can’t say too much, but the thing that happened in the past has everything to do with the present in a way that completely blew me away. Wildly clever plotting (something I find super hard to do well). I loved this book.