“Recursion” explores the dangers of taking technology too far

By: Zoe Ohye

Staff Writer

What if we had the technology to preserve our memories no matter what? 

“Recursion” by Blake Crouch explores this idea in his newest science fiction thriller following the points of view of scientist Helena Smith and NYPD Officer Barry Sutton. 

The story begins with Barry Sutton reporting to a suicide call. When he arrives at the scene and tries to help the woman, she tells him she has the phenomena False Memory Syndrome (FMS). 

FMS is when someone suddenly has two sets of memories, and they believe they have lived two separate lives. 

The next point of view is of scientist Helena Smith, a thirty-eight-year-old Ph.D. student, who dreams of curing Alzheimer’s by figuring out a way to preserve memories. She designs a chair that would be able to work if she had the funding. 

When she is offered a once in a lifetime deal to carry out her dreams of creating the chair with unlimited funding it seems too good to be true. She agrees and the story takes off from there leading to technology that has been taken too far and the consequences that come from it. 

“Recursion” reads like an action movie. It is fast, exciting and keeps you wanting more. If you enjoy action or science fiction movies and a fast-moving plot that keeps you guessing I recommend this. 

I liked this novel because it went in directions I was not at all expecting. It is told in five different parts and each part was just as good as the last. It never felt like the story dragged on because it had good pacing. 

The two points of view in the novel intersect in ways that you would not expect. While this is a science fiction novel, it also deals with deeper themes and ideas, such as grief, loss, love and what is morally right or wrong. 

Crouch did a really great job writing smart, well-rounded characters, that also had flaws. The character’s motives did not seem unrealistic and I could understand why the characters acted the way they did. The characters did not seem to make decisions just to further the plot of the novel, which I think can be difficult to pull off sometimes. 

Overall, I would strongly recommend this novel to people who enjoy action movies, thrillers or just a quick exciting read. I rate this four out of five stars.