Recursion

Author: Blake Crouch
Genre: Sci-Fi
Original Publication date: June 2019
Book description:
That’s what New York City cop Barry Sutton is learning as he investigates the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome-a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived.
That's what neuroscientist Helena Smith believes. It’s why she’s dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious memories. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent.
As Barry searches for the truth, he comes face-to-face with an opponent more terrifying than any disease—a force that attacks not just our minds but the very fabric of the past. And as its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it, only he and Helena, working together, will stand a chance at defeating it.
But how can they make a stand when reality itself is shifting and crumbling all around them?

Thoughts:

It begins very regularly, a mysterious suicide that is investigated by an overly invested detective. There is no one else looking into it but he is not certain he knows what's going on. There is a new epidemic to call it something, people are waking up at random and have fake memories of their past. The woman who committed suicide remembers her life with a husband, a son another job and yet when she sees it's not true and confronts her husband he denies knowing anything. Barry goes to investigates and the man is agitated but hard to know why. Following blindly he gets swept into discovery and he gets a "once in a lifetime" deal.
He comes to see that it might not be such a good idea, the more and more is known to humankind, the more governments and people figure out how to use it, grave consequences arise. It does, unfortunately, make sense, every new technology we tend to want to use it as a weapon and want to use it to make others suffer and get our own gain. The fear of having an enemy who has a bigger gun can make some cower or attack in a desperate last stand. We see people attack with no restrain. We follow another character Helena, the creator of this technology, she had intended to help those who suffer Alzheimer and yet it was completely something else.
this is a bit annoying and stressful the storyline is chopped. We do not see all the journey, we follow Barry and he does not see everything the same way Helena, as you will see the reason as you read it.
Helena is the one doing most of the work, and the process they are following are not followed, we simply see the "result" of their tries and the consequences of the actions, actions which are not described.
The ending is either very fulfilling or very annoying depending on your POV, either you love it or hate it.
For me it felt like a solution for the quest Barry and Helena had intended and yet, at the same time, there was no convenient and perfect one. The plot feels a bit circular and pointless. there is really no plot in the end as the actions in the end well change the whole tale read previously.

Still, it made a good read, it is compelling, and if you have time I'm sure you will be able to get through it in one sitting.

This book as used to accomplish the first task in the #Makeyourmythtaker first prompt Disliked book and well this was also one of the runner ups for the Good Read Choice Award 2019 for Sci-Fi.