Time and Again - Jack Finney

I am a New Yawker. There are many popular stereo-types that New Yorkers must endure - the country at large thinks that as a people we are rude, uncaring and cold. And this is even when they observe us showing the common courtesy of stepping over the man having a heart attack on 34th Street.

To be sure, many of the stereotypes are accurate. Its' true that most New Yorkers wear black all the time, we do have stores that are open 24 hours a day, and we have perfected the art of flagging a cab in any weather and on any street corner. But there's something else most of us share. Something a little less noble.

It turns out that most New Yorkers know little or nothing about the city's colorful history. When you travel to most towns, the locals are, despite your plain disinterest, overly eager to tell you what happened there 20, 40 or even 100 years ago. There are landmarks and guided tours and you can see where some historical documents were signed or where a civil war general camped with his troops.

NYC is all about progress and growth. There is constant building and construction going on. Each skyscraper competes with its neighbors, anxious to stand out in the prestigious skyline... in the haze of traffic, blaring horns, crowded sidewalks and bustling coffee houses the NYC of the past is all but forgotten.

Enter Jack Finney.

I discovered Time and Again on the shelves of one of my favorite haunts: "Here's a Bookstore" on Coney Island Ave in Brooklyn. Sure, the genre is not one that typically peaks my interest, but the proprietor, a kindly bookish sort who has a knack for matching reader to author insisted that I try it. I did, and as usual - he was right:

Albert Einstein published many theories in his life. Most of them were proven true. The novel begins by expounding on one of those theories, a theory in which one can travel through time. Finney wastes very little real estate on this concept, you either buy it - or you don't. I grabbed hold of the hook the line & the sinker and alas, I was not disappointed.

The novel is set in NY in the late 1960's. It tells the tale of a secret government program experimenting with time travel. Simon Morley, an advertising sketch artist, is recruited to make the journey back in time and to sketch his experiences. The story is told with his illustrations liberally sprinkled throughout.

Morley accepts the project and travels back to New York City in the year 1882. What ensues is one of the most enjoyable reads I have ever experienced.

What images does your mind conjure when you think about the past? Do you envision grainy black and white photographs - or perhaps steam ships and top hats? Using very powerful imagery, finely detailed descriptions and accompanying artwork Finney takes us on an incredible journey through NYC just before the dawn of the 20th century. He shares with us what our imaginations leave out.

The novel weaves several simple but enjoyable story lines together. A love story. A fire. A blackmail. A murder. But the plot winds up being just the icing, the real reward is the glimpse into the NYC of the past that is so vividly and accurately portrayed.

You will join the crowds walking down "Lady's Mile" on 5th Ave and you will take a ride on the public transportation wagons and the carriages and caloshs of a time long gone. You will run through the seasons' first snow in Central Park and race sleighs through the wide thoroughfares of midtown. You will travel to Madison Square and marvel at the as-yet-unassembled Statue of Liberties' arm that is on display, and you will take up residence at a small boarding house off Gramercy Park.

Being treated to a view of NYC in the 1880's, the hitching posts, the horses, the people and the politics is in itself a tickling experience. Doing so through the eyes of a New Yorker of the 1960's is a really inventive way to view the past.

Finney did his homework. His descriptions of the atmosphere on the streets, the varied accents of the citizens, the method of dress and social customs places the reader squarely in the thick of things. His attention to detail and his ability to speak volumes with brief, simple but brilliantly crafted descriptions makes this a really fun book to read.

I sincerely believe that this book will become a classic, and probably classroom material for a writing or history class in the future. Don't let that fool you. This is not ho-hum curriculum material. When I finished reading this book I leaned back and sighed. I was exquisitely disappointed that it was over.