This novel was well written and alternated between character perspectives which made it interesting and enjoyable to read. The characters were flawed and interested, but seeing their struggles brought to light was well done and emotional.
The child death was a bit triggering though.

A well written novel on the struggles that come with love and loss and the added ability to time travel thrown in. Not usually a fan of sci-fi but Noah's obsession with the death of his daughter and given the opportunity to go back in time is worth everything to him. I liked flawed characters being human is a complicated thing. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this

I wasn’t sure about reading Lightbreakers: the premise was attractive, but the blurb suggested elements of SF/Fantasy that I might have trouble with, more my understanding than anything else. It follows Noah who’s been invited to take part in what is essentially a time travel experiment funded by a billionaire, and his wife, Maya, stalled in her art and needing a direction, who accompanies him out into the Texan desert.

When Noah and Maya arrive in their new home, she’s struck by the similarity to the Los Angeles house he shared with his ex-wife, Eileen. Noah seems blithely unaware, too caught up in this experiment ostensibly based on the paper which scuppered his career as a physicist. Together for eight years, they’ve reached a stage where a decision must be made about having children, complicated by the loss of Noah’s daughter with Eileen and the grief that split them apart. Once inducted into the Janus Project, it becomes clear that Noah is to be the subject rather than involved in its design, the human lab rat to be ‘folded’ into time.

Shifting perspectives between Noah, Maya, and Eileen, Gabel explores themes of love, loss, grief and memory. There’s quite a lot of physics which I had to take on trust but my ignorance didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of this poignant, immersive novel which poses questions about our versions of the past, our longing to revisit those we’ve loved and lost and the danger of not letting go while making the timely point that the desire of the ultra-rich to play God is a pernicious one. There was a moment when I thought Gabel might have taken a wrong turn but she neatly wraps up her storyline while leaving her readers with lots to think about.

I was a fan of Gabel’s previous novel but thought that this was a major step up. I love books involving time travel and thought that this aspect of the plot was so well thought out. I was also fascinated by the dynamic between Noah, Eileen, and Maya - it was such a well done triangle. I wish I could read this again for the first time!