The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas.
The story begins with four women, who invent time travel. The human trials are done by the scientists. They take all the risk as to whether it is safe. Everything goes fantastic until they do an interview for a worldwide broadcast and one of their fellow travelers has a bit of a breakdown. This is the little grain of sand that sends the novel spinning.
There is a thoughtful exploration of how time travel affects different travelers and how the woman in charge tries to prevent any further embarrassments. By trying to prevent any further mental issues, the preventions appear to cause more of them. Then there is the murder. Ooo! This mystery keeps driving the plot forward even as we sometimes jump back in time.
The author caught my attention early on and held it. Besides showing the effects of time travel through various perspectives, there’s also the murder mystery wrapped up in it all. The first question that has to be answered is, who is the body?
Well-written with interesting characters and cleverly plotted, this novel is well worth reading. The almost entirely female cast was a pleasant surprise as well. I enjoyed this book immensely and highly recommend it.
Here’s the official description for the Psychology of Time Travel:
In 1967, four female scientists worked together to build the world’s first time machine. But just as they are about to debut their creation, one of them suffers a breakdown, putting the whole project—and future of time travel—in jeopardy. To protect their invention, one member is exiled from the team—erasing her contributions from history.
Fifty years later, time travel is a big business. Twenty-something Ruby Rebello knows her beloved grandmother, Granny Bee, was one of the pioneers, though no one will tell her more. But when Bee receives a mysterious newspaper clipping from the future reporting the murder of an unidentified woman, Ruby becomes obsessed: could it be Bee? Who would want her dead? And most importantly of all: can her murder be stopped?
Traversing the decades and told from alternating perspectives, The Psychology of Time Travel introduces a fabulous new voice in fiction and a new must-read for fans of speculative fiction and women’s fiction alike.
