History Literature / TheTimeTravelersWife

* AuthorAvatar: The dedication makes it sound like Niffenegger sees Clare as one for herself, and she dyed her own hair red to “say goodbye” to the character, but Nifenegger says Clare is very different from herself and her author avatar was originally ''Ingrid''. (Fortunately for those worried about Niffenegger’s welfare, she also says the character evolved into someone unrecognizable from there.)

** [[spoiler: Unfortunately, it doesn't work if we can't see the danger coming, as when he gets shot.]]

* EveryoneIsChristianAtChristmas: Played with. Henry first meets Clare's parents during a stay at Clare's childhood home in Michigan over Christmas. There's a moment of tension when they realize ([[FamousAncestor because his mother is a famous singer]], and Clare's parents are fans aware of her Jewish heritage) that they have served Henry ham unthinkingly...which he has already eaten without a second thought. Henry explains that he's not observant, and never really cared to be.

* ForegoneConclusion: Henry knows, for the majority of his life, that something terrible will happen to him before he turns fifty. No matter where in time or space he goes, he keeps finding more signs that point to it. The only thing he ''doesn't'' know is what, exactly, it is. [[spoiler:"Murder at the hands of your brother-in-law" probably wasn't high on the list, but it's what happens.]]

* GratuitousForeignLanguage: Niffenegger occasionally has Henry use the phrase ''"und so weiter"'', which means "and so on" in German. However, on at least one occasion she misspells it as ''"und so wiete"'', which means "and so [???]" (''wiete'' isn't even a ''word'' in German).

* HumanResources: In the book, Charisse asks Henry if the rumor that his library has a rare book that was bound in human skin is true, and he says yes.

* IJustShotMarvinInTheFace: [[spoiler: the brother completely ignores the rules of gun safety, resulting in Henry's death. Specifically, he fails to properly identify his target before he fires and fatally injures Henry.]]

* LawOfInverseFertility: One might think that having six miscarriages just makes Clare want a child even more.

* IJustShotMarvinInTheFace: the brother completely ignores the rules of gun safety, resulting in Henry's death. Specifically, he fails to properly identify his target before he fires and fatally injures Henry.

A [[TheFilmOfTheBook film adaptation]] was released in 2009, starring Creator/RachelMcAdams as Clare and Creator/EricBana as Henry. A live-action series, [[https://deadline.com/2018/07/the-time-travelers-wife-adaptation-steven-moffat-series-order-hbo-1202437332/ written by the aforementioned Moffat]] and starring Creator/TheoJames and Creator/RoseLeslie, aired in 2022 on Creator/{{HBO}}.

A [[TheFilmOfTheBook film adaptation]] was released in 2009, starring Creator/RachelMcAdams as Clare and Creator/EricBana as Henry. A live-action series, [[https://deadline.com/2018/07/the-time-travelers-wife-adaptation-steven-moffat-series-order-hbo-1202437332/ written by the aforementioned Moffat]] and starring Creator/TheoJames and Creator/RoseLeslie, will be released in 2022 on Creator/HBOMax.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Henry's fate is foreshadowed a lot in the narrative. For one thing, throughout the book Henry keeps time travelling to places where important events happened or will happen to him. The reason for his His repeated appearance in the meadow where Clare first met him becomes clear by the end: [[spoiler: It's where he gets fatally shot by Clare's brother.]]

A science fiction novel by Audrey Niffenegger (also TheFilmOfTheBook), it explores all the complexities of its fantastic premise and its effects on otherwise perfectly ordinary people -- and [[SciFiGhetto you will not find it in the science fiction section of your library]]. (More often than not, it'll be stuck in general fiction -- or in the Romance section, effectively trading one Genre Ghetto for another.) It is highly recommended but it comes with a '''serious''' TearJerker warning.

The book has gone on to influence many ScienceFiction authors, most notably Creator/StevenMoffat, who for a time was the lead writer of ''Series/DoctorWho'', and created characters with a similar premise. After leaving as DW showrunner he is now [[https://deadline.com/2018/07/the-time-travelers-wife-adaptation-steven-moffat-series-order-hbo-1202437332/ writing a TV series adaption of the book]].

-->'''Clare''': Have you seen yourself, in your forties?
-->'''Henry''': Yes. I look like I've been spindled and mutilated.

* WhatTheHellHero: After meeting Henry for the first time, Gomez decides to do some checking around on him and discovers he's a notorious womanizer with a pattern of strange behavior. Most alarmingly, Celia tells him he drove his ex Ingrid to attempt suicide. When Gomez discovers a Henry from the future [[CurbStompBattle beating a friend of Gomez's to a pulp]], Gomez confronts him. To his surprise, Henry tells him the whole story about time travel, needing to fight to survive and everything, [[RetroactivePrecognition because Henry knows full well Gomez will be his friend and aide eventually.]] He also points out that Ingrid didn't exactly need any help to be driven to suicide. (See SuicideIsPainless above.)

%%* FantasticRomance

* AstralProjection: Mentioned when Alicia is talking with Claire, who gives a SarcasticConfession for the naked 40-year-old Henry that Alicia saw in her house.

* NoPronunciationGuide: There's a difference of opinion on how to pronounce Claire's maiden name, Abshire.

** Discussed: At Claire and Henry's wedding, Kimy jokes that Clare could have a threesome with two Henrys.

* UnreliableNarrator: When Henry and Claire meet at the library, we first get Clare's point of view, saying that Henry is calm and patient, in other words, the Henry she remembers. Then we get Henry's point of view: He's hungover, unshaven, depressed over his latest fight with Ingrid, and overall just not at his best.

* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: A minor example near the end of the book, when in December of 2006 Clare mentions that Colin Kendrick (born April, 1996) is fourteen years old when he should only be ten.

%%* BiTheWay: Ingrid.

* WeddingDay: Double the wacky!

----

* BiTheWay: Ingrid.

* CaughtWithYourPantsDown: See ScrewYourself below.

* ComfortingTheWidow: Gomez [[spoiler: tries but fails.]]

* FantasticRomance

* MoodWhiplash: Pulled on both the reader and the main character.
* TheMourningAfter

** Played straight: As a young teen, [[Main/ScrewYourself Henry sexually experiments with versions of himself from the recent past/future]].

* TokenMinority: Celia (see below), Kimy, Nell and Charisse.

* WifeHusbandry

* WhichMe: This happens to Henry all the time.

* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: Averted, '''hard'''. Henry discovers by trying at least a few times to save the life of his mother, and a little girl, that [[Main/YouCantFightFate he lives in an Eternist universe wherever everything happens, as it was meant to happen, and the past cannot be changed, no matter how hard you try.]] By the time September 11, 2001 comes around, Henry has accepted the lesson so much that he makes no attempt to warn anyone about what's going to happen, because he already knows doing so won't change things in the slightest.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Henry's fate is foreshadowed a lot in the narrative.