Book Review - A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
A science fantasy with religious fervour that I'm afraid put me off.
A Wrinkle in Time is vaunted as a children's fiction classic, which I can definitely understand. It is the tale of Meg Murry seeking her father, a brilliant government scientist who is missing in action. Along with her infant prodigy brother Charles Wallace and a bright new friend named Calvin, Meg is 'tessered' off Earth by three mysterious entities known as Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who and Mrs Which, who set them on a quest to rescue Mr Murry and thwart the dark plans of the nefarious IT.
The premise and characters are endearing in a suitably whimsical sort of way, but the plot itself struck me as unbalanced. The Mrs sisters immediately drop the three untrained children into a world of rigid structure and no free will and we barely share in their experience. Then Meg and co are suddenly face-to-face with IT, discover Mr Murry, lose Charles Wallace and 'tesser' to a world with fascinating inhabitants that are barely explored before a rush into the third act, which lasts just over ten pages.
In short, it feels like this book should have been longer. While I am aware that A Wrinkle in Time is the beginning of a series, I subscribe to the belief that a first novel should strive to be as self-contained as possible. Especially one that strives to break down the concept of reality and space-time.
Also the faith-based moral arguments really took me out of the book. While I appreciate that God would be possible in this universe, the biblical phrasing and tautological justifications felt like the author's own faith was exerting itself onto the narrative. Then again, I'll admit I have an allergy to Christian doctrine.
While there are a lot of cool elements in A Wrinkle in Time, the hints of alien culture and mind-bending wormhole theory are simply not enough to balance clumsy plot momentum and thinly-veiled religiosity. I won't be continuing with this series but young Christian science fantasy fans might well adore it.