The Day Tripper by James Goodhand
Following a brutal encounter in 1995, The Day Tripper follows Alex Dean through time as he wakes up seemingly uninjured but having lived a hard fifteen years since the fight. As Alex grapples with the unsettling reality of having lived a decade-and-a-half in a single night, he is forced to navigate the uncertainties of his past, present, and future. And every night’s sleep thereafter hurls him through time, where each day brings a new year.
One of the hangups with any time-travel plot whose themes are centered on non-sci-fi ideas like exploring a deeper sense of self and your impact on others, à la It’s a Wonderful Life (which is the best Christmas movie ever, hands down), is that often from the outset it’s fairly evident where a character like Alex is supposed to end up, like Oona Out of Order or The Midnight Library, two books where the execution didn’t quite elevate the stories above the predictable and ordinary.
But I ended up being pretty surprised by and drawn into Goodhand’s novel. As the entire conceit depended on his ability to properly carry out the plot, I think he did a great job. Any predictability made the book feel familiar, and yet I was often unsure about what was to come next or what impact Alex would be able to have on his out-of-order life.
My few complaints center on two main areas: the present tense and the pacing. While I certainly understand the inclination to unfurl a plot-driven narrative with present tense, this can sometimes create a rushed and claustrophobic atmosphere, which detracts from my overall experience. Also, while the pacing may falter slightly here and there, perhaps mirroring the erratic nature of Alex's journey, it does feel like it serves as a reflection of life itself. Some days are profound, etching themselves into memory, while others pass by unnoticed, their significance revealed only in hindsight.
Almost unlike any other sub-genre, time-travel books are often defined by how they interact with other time-travel stories. Here, Goodhand plays with time on a continuous but nonlinear line. Everyone’s actions impact their future, but Alex has the benefit of seeing the effects years into the future, the very next day — as well as the chance to make changes in the past again and again. Like Toby from The Witch Elm, whose actions may or may not have led up to this life-altering event, his path was profoundly redirected following the attack. Drawing parallels to The Lost Weekend, where addiction is the struggle, Groundhog Day, which explores self-understanding, and Quantum Leap, questioning purpose and change, The Day Tripper explores the complex relationship between cause and effect. In the realm of time travel, is it a blessing or a curse, a path to redemption or ruin? Raising huge questions about destiny and free will, Goodhand managed a superb balance that made the unusual way Alex was living seem strikingly similar to an ordinary life. No one is promised a tomorrow.
Overall, while I didn’t fall in love with it, I appreciated the ways Goodhand explored his themes and I kind of miss Alex. In the realm of time-play stories, The Day Tripper stands on its own with a thought-provoking exploration of what it means to live your life.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This affected neither my opinion of the book nor the content of my review.
