Replay by Ken Grimwood: Review
A Novel Dazzles With the "What If?" Question of Lives Lived Again
Nov 12, 2008
Since it was first published in 1987, Ken Grimwood's novel Replay (still in print as a Harper Paperback that came out in 1998) has grabbed readers' imaginations and poignantly caused them to ponder their own lives. In the process, the book has built a cult novel following that has seen it lauded and discussed in dedicated websites and even led to author Brad Meltzer celebrating it in the "You Must Read This" series on NPR's "All Things Considered" in July 2008.
The Plot
Radio station news director Jeff Winston suddenly drops dead of a heart attack at the age of 43—and instantly returns to consciousness in his college dorm room at the age of 18. Reliving his life with foreknowledge of everything that will happen to himself and the world, he quickly amasses a fortune through sports bets and investments, setting himself on a different path—only to die again at the exact same moment he previously had and return again to his younger self.
Each "replay," as Jeff comes to call them, gives him a chance to fine-tune his life, pursuing different careers, living in and visiting different places, and having different loves. His third time around, he encounters Pamela Phillips, another replayer, and together they join forces to try to change the course of history for the better and figure out what's happening to themselves before the sudden deaths they both know will come.
But there's one other twist to their plight: Each successive replay begins later in their lives, at an ever-accelerating pace, and they come to realize that eventually they'll have little if any time to reconnect before they die again.
The Writing
Grimwood, who, ironically and tragically, died an untimely death from a heart attack in 2003 at the age of 59, wrote with a clarity, intelligence, sensitivity, and imagination that helps readers quickly suspend disbelief over the story's main premise. His grasp of historical details and how they affect the characters' own fortunes and fates make the tale all the more believable.
Particularly impressive is how Grimwood compresses time, recounting each successive replay more briefly than the preceding ones without ever shortchanging the narrative flow. Indeed, his skill builds a driving level of suspense that leaves many readers up late at night turning pages to reach the book's very satisfying, deeply touching conclusion.
The Recommendation
Replay is highly recommended not just for lovers of fantasy and science fiction but also for any readers who appreciate a well-told story that touches on fundamental metaphysical and spiritual issues about the meaning of life. In that regard, it offers some of the same satisfactions to be found in the novels of Dean Koontz. (Looking for another great page-turner? Check out Palace Council!)
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