Book #36: The Time Keeper
Inside Front Flap:
In Mitch Albom's newest work of fiction, the inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift. He is banished to a cave for centuries and forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more days, more years.
Eventually, with his soul nearly broken, Father Time is granted his freedom, along with a magical hourglass and a mission: a chance to redeem himself by teaching two earthly people the true meaning of time.
He returns to our world--now dominated by the hour-counting he so innocently began--and commences a journey with two unlikely partners: one a teenage girl who is about to give up on life, the other a wealthy old businessman who wants to live forever. To save himself, he must save them both. And stop the world to do so.
Told in Albom's signature spare, evocative prose, this remarkably original tale will inspire readers everywhere to reconsider their own notions of time, how they spend it and how precious it truly is.
My Review
As I read this short novel, a few things resonated with me, but not much sank in. I often feel, with tales of this sort, that there is a definite moral to the story, and therefore, just to be a rebel, I try my hardest to ignore it. The moral to this story is obvious: Appreciate the time you've been given; time is precious. Time is precious and that's why we count it. But the moral of this story also seems to be: Don't count time or you'll end up like Dor. Uh oh, see, there's the rub. How do we stop counting time? And if we do, the lives we know essentially stop. Everything depends on time. Do I have enough time to finish this chapter before I have to get back to work? Do I have enough time to finish this before the end of the day? Do I have enough time to fit in that lunch date with a friend tomorrow? All of this adds up to the question: Is there enough time for everything?
I recently watched a Doctor Who episode where Lazarous, a famous professor, figures out how to recode his DNA to make him younger. His reason? He didn't have enough time to do everything he wanted to do in one lifetime, so he made himself another. The Doctor's response? Some men can do everything they wish in twenty years, some men never have enough time. See, the Doctor see's the rub, too. Everyone wants more time, but what if you had all the time in the world, the galaxy, the universe? What would be the point? You wouldn't have to worry about living today if you knew you could live tomorrow as well, and the day after that, and the day after that, into all eternity.
So I guess just be content with the time you've been given, whether you choose to count it or not. Do what you wish, but do enough that you don't regret anything. Do enough that you forget the reasons why you no longer wish to live and so you forget that you need more time. Essentially, Cape Diem. Seize the day!
Now, back t The Time Keeper y Mitch Albom. I enjoyed it, but as I said earlier, I didn't take too much from it. I have never thought seriously about taking my own life. Sure I've thought such things as "Why am I even alive?" "Why was I born?" or "Why don't I just die?" but I've never planned anything out; never attempted suicide. And I'm not at that point yet in my life where I'm dying a slow, horrible, painful death and wish to end it right now or beg for more time. Maybe if I read this when I'm older, it'll mean more.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Kelly <3