I have returned to this book several times since I first read it and every time I have a renewed sense of awe and appreciation for the quality of the prose, the emotion brilliantly portrayed behind seemingly simple phrases, and the frustration that such an exceptional writer is not a household literary name. In my opinion, Bryan Walpert’s Entanglement is as good as, if not better than many books you will find on a Booker Longlist. A bold statement perhaps, but not one I make lightly.

Entanglement is first and foremost clever. Okay I’ll admit it - there were times I felt the protagonist (and surely this means the author) was thinking on a plane higher than most. And I had to concentrate HARD on some of the paragraphs that went on and on and had me gasping for breath! But you know what? I loved that about this book. Like all good literary fiction, Entanglement challenges us to think harder, to appreciate the subtleties until we suddenly sit back and mouth ‘oh, wow’ as we realise how cleverly the author has weaved the three strands of this story together.

Entanglement is about time travel, but it is not a time travel story. It is about a man haunted by his past, and lost in his search for answers. Most importantly, it is a poignant story about love. Without giving anything away, when I reached one particular chapter near the end of the book I didn’t want to read it because I knew what was coming, I knew what I was in for, and even then I wasn’t prepared. The chapter was so heart-breaking and so simple and so beautiful and…oh just go and read this already. Then you’ll understand what I’m going on about.

Dazzlingly intelligent and ambitious in scope, Entanglement spans decades and continents, explores the essence of time and delves into topics as complex as quantum physics. But at the heart of Bryan Walpert’s novel is the human psyche and all its intricacies. A writer plagued by two tragedies in his past reflects on where it all went wrong, and his desperation leads him back to Baltimore in 1977. A novel unafraid to ask difficult questions, and a novelist unwilling to patronise his readers.

I’m so torn. I think I have to re-read this but who has time to re-read these days!? Definitely a book to slooooooow down and savour. Blink and you’ll miss important bits of the story like I did!

After discussing it with Olivia, I need to go back, slow down and really try harder to understand what I’m reading! There were a lot of moments that I didn’t think were important or significant in the story that really were crucial and I feel like I misread or misinterpreted.

There was a lot that went over my head re: quantum physics and theory of time travel but this book is so much more than a ‘time travel’ book so don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I struggled with the structure of the novel as personally I couldn’t wrap my head around time moving backwards but I know a lot of people who really enjoy stories like that.

I’m going to be honest, I just didn’t feel smart enough to read this book and I’m okay with that. I read it because I’ve been reading all the Ockham shortlisted books and I’ve been enjoying stepping out of my comfort zone to read books I wouldn’t normally gravitate towards on my own. Like Olivia mentions - it feels like a book that would be on the Booker prize list and I admit to shying away from those titles because they feel too ‘highbrow literature’ for me! But let me tell you: that ending. THAT ENDING. The whole book was worth it for me because of how it ended. I was incredibly satisfied and although like I said, ain’t nobody got time to re-read, I think this would be a very rewarding re-read once you already know how it ends.