Hourglass (1) by Myra McEntire
This is a book about time travel and a misunderstood girl who thinks she's insane. Hourglass by Myra McEntire is the first part of the Hourglass trilogy (in German Hourglass - Die Stunde der Zeitreisenden). I heard it as an audio book. Age: 14 - Death (girls)
Emerson is small, funny, a little shy – and insane. Or do you know another word for someone who claims to see people from the past, that disappear whenever she touches them? Michael Weaver, her new professional help, has another one: time traveller. Em sees dead people because she has the ability to travel to the past, while he sees people that don’t exist yet – because he can visit the future. Together, they form one whole, capable of visiting every moment that ever has and ever will happen. But Em’s gift is so much more valuable than Michael’s. A psychopath wants to use her to change his past. And Michael wants her help to prevent the psychopath from murdering someone who’s already dead. But everything has its price…
Oh my God, I adore this book. It’s so funny, especially Em’s sarcastic, self-ironic PoV. She’s gorgeous, one of the coolest heroines I ever read about. She’s funny, amazingly honest and really, really strong, she survived loosing her parents and her mind shortly after another – or, rather, thinking she lost her mind. I like how her “insanity” is described, how she doesn’t trust herself or think she’s worthy of other people’s trust and love. How she fights for every little bit of independency, how she hates it to ask for help and sometimes does stuff just to make her brother and caretaker happy. How she pretends to be happy so no one worries – how she asks herself whether the people around her are actually real. And how she categorises everything around her. Stages, lists and such. This is very, very realistic, and coupled with enough humour to not make it seem too gloomy. Though you definitely get the problems.
Especially her memories of that incident in the Mensa, her problems with people her age, how she fears spending another year in the public schools of Ivy Springs and how she blames herself for almost everything bad. How she pushes basically everyone back, some people entirely out of her life, but most simply to the point where she can deal with them without disclosing too much information about herself. Her defence mechanisms and constant “I’m fine”-lie are wonderfully, gorgeously well done. As is her absolute scepticism of everything Michael, her new “Help” says. Ver realistic.
I know that what I say above doesn’t seem to add up with the honesty part. But seriously, everyone who has some sort of problem of the physical or psychological kind for a longer duration of time will understand that they actually still fit. Somehow. Because the only lies Em tells others is that she’s okay. Apart from that, she diverts, tells half-truths and such to simply make sure the people around her don’t worry more than they already do. She doesn’t try to hurt anyone or create benefits for herself through lying – and she still says almost everything she thinks out loud. And this is what makes her honest in my eyes.
Well, Michael.
Imagine a handsome stranger roughly your age sweeping in your life with a solution to almost every problem you ever had. What would the average person do? Swoon and melt like butter. What does Em do? Hit him and throw him over her shoulder to see if he’s real. While accusing him of double-game-playing and being a liar because he doesn’t disclose all information right away.
I adore Em. And their relationship.
Michael himself is the honourable, overthinking type of guy who tries to find the perfect balance between professionalism and emotional closeness as well as asking for help and not pressuring. A perfectionist, basically, who hates to break the rules – and will only do it for altruistic purposes. Add to that an amazing charisma, a bit self-ironic humour and personal development due to Em and you have the decent kind of guy you’d like to bring home. Sounds a bit boring at first, but… Michael has to manage a whole lot of responsibility and it takes a bit until he knows and trust Em enough to actually talk to her. After that, it’s quite funny – especially due to their relationship dynamics. She makes him loose up and such, but even if you take him alone and unfiltered, he’s still not boring to be around with.
But I’m an immense fan of Kaleb’s. He’s the good guy who acts like a bad boy, with brawdy jokes, much flirtation and an amazing depth behind that façade. He’s really fun to be around, and has as much charisma as Michael.
Spoiler:
I knew that Michael was better for Em and I was actually Team Michael the entire time, but I was so sorry for Kaleb! I can completely identify with him and with the problems he has – feeling too much, TMI from too many sources, and then the stuff with a dead father and a comatose Mom – who, of course, “fell into a coma because he wasn’t enough”? God, poor guy. Em made the right choice, but I was still sorry Kaleb had to hurt like that. I’m glad about the developments in Timepiece (Die Versuchung der Zeit), he deserved some happiness.
Well, there are other people I like and feel sorry for as well, mainly Tomas and Dru. It’s not easy being the legal guardians of Em, even though she really tries to lighten up their burden. And, I’m serious, she really does. But constantly worrying for someone is hard. And then finding out that what she sees is actually real? And that she has to put her life in danger because a psychopath wants to use her? Yeeeaaaah, big brother protectiveness sure as hell doesn’t get triggered, noooo. But Tomas is more than just a big brother, he’s a nice guy as well, who tries to be there for Em as much as he can – who tries to make her life as easy as possible, though she usually doesn’t let him. Dru is the funny, but soft-spoken and gentle woman you imagine would be the perfect wife. But she’s amazingly authorative and pragmatic underneath, she’ll be a gorgeous mother. The two of them are a wonderful couple.
Another person I absolutely adore is Lily. She’s the most loyal, funny and supportive friend you could imagine, and her reaction to Michael is more than funny – and I love it how she obviously ships him and Em. Great! She’s a super-cool friend. And doesn’t put up with anyone’s bullshit, sees through Em’s façade, diversions and lies and sets her head straight from time to time. All in all, the friend you’ve always wanted.
Michael’s other friends and colleges are interesting as well, especially Nate and Dune. I wanted to hit Ava with a frying pan – and I must admit, I knew something was up with her and that she was somehow involved, but I didn’t get how. As for Jack and Kat?
Spoiler:
That Jack wasn’t what he seemed, sure. Having a guy hang out in your bedroom who knows you name, is semi-permeable and claims to protect you makes sceptical. But I didn’t see the connection. As for Kat? I had no idea. And God, their relationship is gross!
Apart from that, the book is tense, with very original ideas and a sound content. The characters make all sense. The only thing that bothered me a bit was that some dialogue parts seemed a bit… disconnected, so to speak. Apart from that, wonderful!
In brief:
SoGH, of course, plus stars for characters, content and ideas. Plus half a star for each style and the madness.
Sequel: