By: Jamie Steinberg
In 1934, Genevieve Newhouse is a bright and brilliant upcoming physics prodigy that feels invisible to her male colleagues and to her family. Ashley (“Ash”) Hargreaves is a young man who has grown up in a sheltered community run by a religious zealot. Both worlds collide at the Chicago World’s Fair where Genevieve (using an assumed male name) is set to give a presentation on an experimental project. Ash is there under the impression that the world is going to end and he believes he has the power to stop it. When the two events align, Ash and Genevieve are sent time traveling into the past where they are desperate to change the future for both their sakes. A Time Traveler’s History of Tomorrow is a fascinating sci-fi tale mixed with a hint of romance that may, in the end, be a bit lackluster, but will have you turning page after to page to see what the future holds.
It is the year 1934 and Genevieve Newhouse is a young woman who possesses the brains to change the face of the physics community with her invention of the “cyclotron.” However, her intelligence is often overlooked due to the gender bias and misogyny of her time. Under a gender neutral name, she submitted herself for a research fellowship and won. Genevieve hopes that by surprising her peers and presenting her device at the fellowship award’s ceremony at the Chicago World’s Fair she will get a real shot at becoming a world renowned physicist. While often ignored by others in her career field, Genevieve also feels overshadowed by her better looking and more amiable sisters – so much so that she feels invisible to the world. In fact, that invisibility has manifested into Genevieve actually being able to make herself invisible.
Ash Hargreaves has grown up in the secluded town of Harmony run by a man known as Father Daily who seemingly has a knack for predicting catastrophic events. Father Daily has determined the world is set to end on June 15, 1934 at the Chicago World’s Fair. Ash firmly disbelieves Father Daily’s visions, much like his brother Archie had before him. Archie went on to leave Harmony and lost his life along the way. Still, Ash doesn’t agree with Father Daily and is determined to keep the world from ending. He heads to the Chicago World’s Fair Hall of Science to see what he can do in order to prevent the event – hoping to use his hidden talent to turn back time to keep this catastrophe from taking place.
The two worlds collide when someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing attempts to use Genevieve’s cyclotron – causing an explosion that Ash tries to take back with the help of his time traveling capabilities. Unfortunately, this perfect storm sends the two back in time to 1893 where they must find a way to change the future while also returning to their proper place in time. A Time Traveler’s History of Tomorrow follows the adventures of this likable duo as they attempt to blend in with the time period, along the way finding an ally that will help them figure out a way to get back to 1934 and save themselves and the world.
Author Kendall Kulper offers Back to the Future time travel elements mixed with “The Umbrella Academy” abilities and apocalyptic vibes with a romantic twist, which causes Genevieve and Ash’s time together to unite them in more than one way. Neither of the two have ever felt truly seen and heard, which has them sweetly finding common ground and racing hearts while simultaneously working to assist in saving the world. Be warned, there is a major twist that readers won’t see coming and might make the trajectory towards the finale feel a bit muddled. Regardless, the chaos, the abilities the characters possess, the path towards self-confidence and potentially apocalyptic events are what keep readers invested.
A Time Traveler’s History of Tomorrow places two strangers down a “will they or won’t they” trajectory in more ways than one and that’s what makes the book worthy exploration. Where science meets sci-fi, readers will find themselves intrigued and hoping there is a world beyond the 1934 Chicago World’s Fair.