Replay

1987 time loop story that both predates and has less redeeming qualities than Groundhog Day. Won the World Fantasy Award and is considered a fantasy masterwork - but other than looping back in time, there are no fantasy elements.

Without too many spoilers, the first things that come to mind if you could loop back in time are money, sex, drugs, and finding true love. Our protagonist goes through these, focusing mostly on himself. While he can make some changes locally, they don't "stick", and he doesn't appear to learn much from them. Groundhog Day has better use of a shorter time, more interesting characters, and a resolution driven by the main character. Another comparison could be made with Stephen King's 11/22/63, but at least the timeline of Jeff Winston is not obdurate. You would think a journalist would want to know more about a conspiracy to assassinate Kennedy, though!

This novel seems to divide reviewers, most reviews very high or low. I found the idea interesting but the story lacking. As a reader, it was frustrating to see Jeff focused on the United States, complaining in the end about not hearing original music. Given that much time and knowledge, he could have lived in other countries instead of just visiting them, learning languages, hearing new music, and meeting so many new people. Imagine reading One Hundred Years of Solitude in the original Spanish, or early Vladimir Nabokov novels in the original Russian?

In addition to awards, the story was sold to studios, but no film was made. Elements of the story may have appeared in other movies, angering the author. The latest mention was in 2010, with Back to the Future's Robert Zemeckis directing Ben Affleck as Jeff Winston.

The main character's life closely resembles the authors - raised in Florida, Emory college, radio journalism, international travel. According to a friend of the author, he was working on a sequel when he died suddenly at age 59, much like his main character. Perhaps we are just living in the continuation of one of his time loops?