Wrinkles in time: Where science and faith collide
A review of Madeleine L'Engle's classic A Wrinkle in Time
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle is one of those classic fantasy books that has been referenced to many times as one of the great ones. It is no surprise then, that L’Engle has not one, but two books from the Time Quintet series on The 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time list.
Going into A Wrinkle in Time, I had no expectations — if anything, I was curious about how a fantasy book from 1962 would compare to others I’ve read in the genre.
TIME credits L’Engle for giving its readers, especially young girls, an avatar in Meg Murry, a brilliant preteen outcast who is struggling to find her place in her world.1 It definitely piqued my interest having a female protagonist as the lead, going into an adventure searching for her lost father.
It was a dark and stormy night.
Out of this wild night, a strange visitor comes to the Murry house and beckons Meg, her brother Charles Wallace and their friend Calvin O’Keefe on a most dangerous and extraordinary adventure — one that will threaten their lives and our universe.
With that premise, I was eager to dive in. It is the very recipe for a good coming of age story that can really be a great adventure. A Wrinkle in Time did start out quite good, I was engaged and intrigued to continue listening to the story on my many walks. I found myself enjoying that L’Engle was trying to combine science and religion (or spirituality) as those are two very interesting topics and I do love when authors try out different tactics to intertwine them.
However, she was not really able to pull it off. I started to lose interest halfway throughout the book, and what I kept returning to was the thought of «what could have been» with a book trying to grapple with these two fascinating subjects. I ended up wishing that this could have been explored so much more and on a deeper level, science vs. religion. I am not a religious person, I do not believe — but I am a history nerd and I am fascinated by how much religion has shaped the world and how religion has battled with science throughout our history. So I suppose I was expecting L’Engle to do something more than just quote the Bible and throw in religious overtones here and there.
I enjoyed the presence of beings from other worlds and the brief glimpses into other dimensions. However, these ideas felt underdeveloped, leaving me wanting more. Perhaps L’Engle expands on this later in the series, but I wish they had been explored more in this first book. After all, a strong opening should entice readers to continue and unfortunately A Wrinkle in Time did not compel me to pick up the next book.
Because the book does not flow well in terms of plot or character development, I gradually lost interest. What should have been a big climax toward the end felt underwhelming. That said, I can recognise how A Wrinkle in Time made an impact when it was first published — and perhaps if I had read it as a child, I would have found it more compelling.
What I did enjoy was parts of her writing style, I found quite a few quotes that I enjoyed and took note of. Calling the mysterious monster «IT» really worked for me, as it tapped into the unknown and not really knowing what this thing is adds up to the mystery of the world our protagonist is in. Overall, it was an enjoyable short and quick read, I was partially entertained and I could see myself maybe enjoying it at a younger age.
A revolutionary great piece of writing? No, not really. Does it deserve its place on the list? While A Wrinkle in Time meets the key criteria for inclusion on the list; originality, ambition, artistry, critical and popular reception and influence on the fantasy genre and literature more broadly.2 I personally did not find it as impactful or revolutionary as some of the other fantasy works I’ve read.
Ironically one of my favourite quotes from the book is the perfect way to end this review
«I don’t understand it any more than you do, but one thing I’ve learned is that you don’t have to understand things for them to be»
Until next time,
happy reading! ✨
https://time.com/collection/100-best-fantasy-books/5898444/a-wrinkle-in-time/
https://time.com/5900236/how-we-chose-100-best-fantasy-books/
Header photo: https://no.pinterest.com/pin/34410384647917029/