I was intrigued enough by the title, The Psychology of Time Travel, to pick up Kate Mascaenhas’s new book. This is a genre-breaking book combining time travel, science fiction, a “locked room” mystery, with touches of romance. I am sure there are techies out there who will denigrate the time-travel aspect, but I was able to suspend disbelief long enough to get through—and enjoy—the novel.

There are four main characters—the women who invent the time machine—plus various children, lovers, etc.—who, as they time travel, meet their future selves (called “silver selves” because of their gray hair) and their past selves (“green selves” because of their youth. With four main characters and multiples of their green and silver selves zipping in and out of time, often it’s like looking into the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. Many of these characters had very little development. Perhaps stream-lining the character list might allow for expansion of character development and increase the emotionality.

There is a bit of a mystery with a woman killed in a locked room. It’s not the highlight of the book, but rather a bit of a subplot that adds interest especially since it can only be solved by time traveling back to just before the woman is murdered.

The main appeal of The Psychology of Time Travel is that it describes four female (yes, women! and culturally diverse and sexually diverse to boot) scientists who create the first time machine back in 1967. The book focuses on these four pioneers and their past and future selves to look at how time travel affects them psychologically and physiologically while looking at multiple currently relevant issues through the lens of its characters: sexuality, death, bipolar disorder, bullying, hazing, racism, and infidelity.

Mascarenhas’s writing style is quite matter of fact but is enriched by neologisms she lists in an appendix to the book. The multi-layered, creative plot requires some concentration to follow, but overall the book is worth the effort, especially as it is loaded with female characters who are competent, capable, and sexual, if sometimes a bit off their rockers.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

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The Psychology of Time Travel will be released on February 12, 2019 by Crooked Lane Press and will be available through: Amazon | B&N