Great setting, disappointing book - Her Fearful Symmetry
When Audrey Niffenegger released ’The Time Traveler’s Wife'back in 2003, it took the modern fiction world by storm with its carefully crafted, non-cheesy and intelligent love story. To boot, it was entirely believable - no mean feat when the subject matter concerned itself with a time traveling husband.
We were kept waiting for quite some time before the follow up, Her Fearful Symmetry, hit the shelves (in the mean time, Niffenegger managed to play her valuable cards well and held the rights for the novel almost to ransom, netting a gigantic advance along the way). Her first novel was an excellent exploration of character relationship in a speculative setting, and we were promised more of the same with Her Fearful Symmetry.
So did it deliver? Unfortunately, not really. Unlike the titular character of the first novel and her husband, the characters of Symmetry are not amazingly warm or likable. The speculative element in this one - the ghost of a previous tenant haunting a flat - is unconvincing and seems very forced, as do the motions the characters as they move through the plot.
But it’s not all negative. It is a good novel, just not by Niffenegger’s previous standard, but one shining point is the setting - Highgate Cemetary in London. It’s a beautiful cemetery in real life, and it is portrayed beautifully and accurately throughout the novel. After reading, if you’re nearby we heartily recommend a tour of the cemetery as you’ll notice many landmark places used in the novel and also meet staff who we’re convinced were the inspiration for some of the characters.
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