Great read, but extremely explicit scenes and profane language.
Plot
The original and partly sci-fi love story about Clare and Henry. But there's a catch: Henry has a genetic disorder that makes him able to time travel, and Clare is often left alone during his absences.
Morality
Several times Henry must resort to stealing items from shops, pickpocketing, and lock-picking. Later in the story he also teaches his young daughter to do the same. Although the characters do this out of survival, there is not much reference to this being wrong.
Abstinence is completely unmentioned in the book and the characters do not abide by "no sex before marriage". Both characters also have other sexual partners at one point in each of their lives.
Spiritual Content
When Clare is in her child/teen years she believes in God and makes reference to that a couple of times; however, as she grows older she loses her faith. Henry is mentioned at one point to be an Atheist/Agnostic, and it is inferred that Clare later takes the same path.
Violence
At many points in the novel Henry beats and fights other people. There is also an instance of a suicide which is rather graphically mentioned.
Drug and Alcohol Content
When Henry is younger he is very much an alcoholic and at one point in the novel he drinks so much that he is taken to hospital. There are also other mentions of alcohol and drug references scattered throughout the book.
Sexual Content
There are numerous explicit "scenes" throughout the whole of this novel. It is very much an adult book and should certainly not be read by young teens, if even mature teenagers.
Crude or Profane Language or Content
There is a lot of swearing in this novel. The language at several times is extremely explicit and personally I thought quite unnecessary. If you detest strong and profane language, beware.
Conclusion
Although the above makes the book sound quite terrible, it is an enjoyable read because of the original plot and characters. However, at many points throughout the novel I thought that the excessive use of profane and explicit language was unnecessary and I personally thought the book would have been a much more enjoyable read without it.
That being said however, it is written very well and in an easy-to-read format, and I found that I couldn't put it down from start to finish. The themes of Henry being a time traveler could at times become extremely confusing and a little bit annoying, but the love between both Clare and Henry really draws you in and makes you part of their story.
I'm sorry to say that this could have easily become one of my favorite books had it not been for the unnecessary use of explicit language and lack of values. It would be very much worth the read if it were not for the explicit content, and adults who can handle the mature themes mentioned above may still enjoy reading it.
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