The Time Travel Journals: Shipbuilder, by Marlene Dotterer, is an entertaining and fascinating voyage through time and beyond.
In this novel, Ms. Dotterer creates a storyline that uses as its pinnacle one of the most famous incidents in history--the sinking of the RMS Titanic. In fact, the story builds itself up to this event with nice suspense. But if you're thinking, I've already seen the movie, know that this book really isn't about that. It's about people, society, and the choices we make.
Set in Belfast, Ireland, our two main characters are an odd couple: an aging male scientist and a young female college student. Quite inadvertently, the two find themselves suddenly picked up and placed backward in time one hundred years.
This work deals with a dilemma of time-travel that story tellers have tinkered with for ages. The quandary and question to unravel is, what would happen if one were to go back in time with full knowledge of certain events that were to occur, but then attempt to make changes? And this raises more questions. How would one's presence in and of itself affect a timeline that has already happened? Does it create more parallel timelines? This subject has been played out in many ways in movies and books but often with the theme of characters scheming to get rich. For example, if one could go back, one could commit robberies where it was known money or gold would be. One could make a fortune making predictions. The list goes on.
But Ms. Dotterer goes about it differently. The main character attempts to make changes motivated first and foremost by love. As soon as we are thrust back in time, things move very quickly as our characters struggle first just to survive, then later to adjust and fit in. Without spoiling it for the potential reader, one of our characters falls in a love with a well-known figure of that day and time. Unfortunately, this person is doomed to perish with the Titanic. But even with this foreknowledge, the two move forward into marriage and starting a family. One result of this is that many elements of a romance novel come to the surface and are woven into the narrative. The other character, who acts often as a voice of reason in various situations, is motivated by the desire to improve the world and help people.
As the story moves along, we're given many lessons in history and it's apparent that Ms. Dotterer has done her research. What makes this book particularly interesting is how real history is combined with fictitious events and decisions as a result of interjected future knowledge. It really does make a person think.
There is one caveat though. This work is also a social statement against the more rigid societal standards of early nineteenth century Ireland, particularly in terms of religion and certain communal issues. One of our main characters is openly atheist, a standing that is almost criminal in this society at this time. While most readers of a God-fearing nature would probably not be offended, you'll notice the Hollywood-like stereotype of a particularly repugnant character who represents religious fanaticism. This character is not only scheming, manipulative and cruel, he's also a bit of a pervert, not to mention a blatant law-breaker. It's unfortunate that characters who represent conservative religious thinking are often portrayed this way.
Some readers may also find it regrettable that little positive credit is given to the moral compass and good standards that religion provides to early twentieth century Ireland, or any given culture. Statistically, after all, it has been the secular movements that have killed countless more people and have done more damage. It focuses only on the negative, and in those days and for many years to come, there was a lot of negative events surrounding religious differences. Proof positive that even with an attempt at maintaining firm standards of behavior, man's wicked nature comes through. The fight against sexism and for equal privileges--another significant element to this story--is far more understandable.
But the work is balanced. Our atheist and socially liberal main character is eventually accepted and loved by a family she marries into who, while religious in nature, are in no way fanatical. As a whole, they are good people with every good intention. Also, there are other nefarious characters in this story that plot evil, but without any religious motivation guiding them. Our other main character is neither religious nor anti-religion, and may even be agnostic.
All in all, The Time Travel Journals: Shipbuilder is an enjoyable read with a lot of interesting ideas to ponder. It will definitely get the mind going on the What if? questions. Even if you're not a history buff, I think you'll enjoy this work. It may even get you thinking about the choices you're making now, and how those choices could affect many generations to come.
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