Distance Traveler's Girlfriend Part 1

I cling to particular novels or movies during important events in my life. Some people may cringe when they read this but when I was going through the aftermath of dealing with The Viking, I constantly watched New Moon and reread Meyer's novel. I loved seeing my sadness and desperation mirrored in what Bella was going through, and I longed for a Jacob Black of my own.

Now in a happy, loving relationship and dealing with being separated from Morgan, I have turned to The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Henry DeTamble is a time traveler and begins a love affair with his future wife when she is six years old. Told in first person by both Clare and Henry, you read about their life together as Henry disappears and reappears at and in any moment of time. The book was turned into a very moving movie starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. I first fell in love with the movie. When I read the book, I savored every page!

Now, it has even more meaning to me as I identify with Clare's emotions and thinking process while Henry is away time traveling. There are passages and moments that hit me so hard that I wish to share through these "Distance Traveler's" posts. Maybe you will fall in love with the book and look it up or be able to identify with these moments from this timeless novel (no pun intended).

"PROLOGUE

CLARE: It's hard being left behind. I wait for Henry, not knowing where he is, wondering if he's okay. It's hard to be the one who stays.

I keep myself busy. Time goes faster that way.

I got to sleep alone, and wake up alone. I take walks. I work until I'm tired. I watch the wind play with the trash that's been under the snow all winter. Everything seems simple until you think about it. Why is love intensified by absence?

Long ago, men went to sea, and women waited for them, standing on the edge of the water, scanning the horizon for the tiny ship. Now I wait for Henry. He vanishes unwillingly, without warning. I wait for him. Each moment that I wait feels like a year, an eternity. Each moment is as slow and transparent as glass. Through each moment I can see infinite moments lined up, waiting. Why has he gone where I cannot follow?"

--- Niffenegger, Audrey. The Time Traveler's Wife. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc, 2004. Print.