Recursion

What is the role of science in this novel? Aside from being a science fiction writer, why does Crouch chose to make this novel science fiction rather than fantasy? Imagine that the scientific elements of Recursion were removed, and the memory chair was replaced by, for instance, an ancient magical pool that could send bathers back in time. How would the meaning of the narrative change?

"Women in refrigerators” refers to a trope in which female characters die to further a male character's emotional development or character arc. When Meghan dies twice over, is she "being fridged” for the sake of Barry's personal growth? What about when Helena dies? Is Crouch subverting this trope, or not engaging with it at all? Provide a counterargument.

Helena creates the chair with the hope of helping Alzheimer's patients. In doing so, she inadvertently begins the alternate, or "false” memories, which people widely misinterpret as a syndrome with no cure. How does the novel conceptualize illness and medicine?

By resetting the timelines so many times, the characters live many different lives. One major theme, then, is the power of choice to alter lives. Helena and Barry choose to live most of their lives together in a romantic relationship. How does the theme of endless possibilities coexist with the theme of commitment?

At the beginning of the novel, Barry recognizes that he had a habit of romanticizing his memories through nostalgia. By the end of the novel, he decides to stop succumbing to nostalgia. In the penultimate scene, he tells Julia he is grateful for the memories they share. What is Crouch suggesting about the difference between gratitude and nostalgia? What is the relationship between nostalgia and resentment?

How does Crouch position John Shaw and Marcus Slade as foils? What do their respective arcs say about human nature and the power of technology?

Both Helena and Barry have sexual and romantic encounters with side characters before meeting one another. Barry has sex with Gwen, which they pretend never happened; Helena has sex with Sergei and develops a crush on Raj. What is the purpose of including these relationships? How do they add significance to the narrative and to Helena and Barry's eventual relationship?

When Helena first discovers that Slade went back in time, overwriting a timeline in which he worked for her, she angrily tells him he stole her first life. Over the course of the novel, Helena lives through numerous timelines. At the end of the novel, however, Barry is the only character who remembers these alternate lives. What does it mean for Helena that she will never remember the years she spent fighting to destroy the chair?