Replay

The tenth book I read in the Masterworks Reading Challenge at Worldswithoutend was Replay, by Ken Grimwood.

Jeff Winston is living a bland life. It's 1988, he's 43 years old, and his marriage is at a dead end, as is his job. A sudden heart attack unexpectedly ends his life, and he only has regret in his mind as he fades out.

And then wakes up. He's 18 years old, and it seems he's getting a second chance at life. Should he do things the same? Differently? And how can he exploit what seems to be knowledge of the future, since he's retained all of his memories from his previous life? And when he dies again, will it be at the same age, and will he come back yet again?

This novel was Groundhog Day before Groundhog Day, as Jeff lives life after life, living each one as he's always wanted to, or just to try something new, or purely for whimsy. As the story progresses, changes finally start to appear. History doesn't always repeat itself exactly as it did before, and Jeff starts to suspect that he may not be the only person replaying their lives.

The novel does a great job with its "what ifs." Just about anything you can think to try, the protagonist tries, and it makes parts of the novel fun. It plods along at a good pace, and is a good read.

But something in it just missed a little bit, and I'm not sure why. I liked it, for sure, but didn't love it. On my recommendation, a friend read it, and he said that it messed him up for days afterward, he loved it so much. I've delayed writing this review, just because I was hoping to put my finger on why it wasn't love for me, but I still can't say. It's a recommend either way, and I gave it four out of five stars.