Hulver's site || Comments || Lock and Load

The Time Traveler's Ending by Kellnerin (4.00 / 1) #1 Sun Jul 30, 2006 at 07:29:19 AM EST

I read an interview somewhere with the author where she said she actually came up with the ending first, as a visual image (being an artist before being a writer) of the old woman and her younger, time-traveling husband coming to visit her. Strange to think that the book grew backwards from there, yet that scene seems almost tacked on, in the book.

Also, in the car park incident, as I recall the temperature was below zero Fahrenheit, which is way below freezing, so it doesn't take terribly long for that situation to become dire, I think.

There are other things that bothered me vaguely about the book, but not the same ones that you called out. It is a love story at core, and I was OK with that.

--
"later" meant either "when you walk around the corner" or "oatmeal."

Weather by TheophileEscargot (2.00 / 0) #2 Sun Jul 30, 2006 at 08:22:02 AM EST

Well it certainly would get you in the end. But even so, it was an underground parking garage, protected from wind, snow and rain: I think a fit, healthy guy walking around would take a long time to suffer serious damage.

It just seems very contrived: no office to break into, no cars to break into to grab mats or blankets or rugs or upholstery, and yet they've bothered to seal this empty space completely securely from the inside.

What bothered you about it?
--
"Everything is vague to a degree you do not realize till you have tried to make it precise." -- Bertrand Russell
[ Parent ]

Hmm by Kellnerin (4.00 / 1) #3 Sun Jul 30, 2006 at 09:14:22 AM EST

I didn't remember it being underground, but he'd already been exposed to the elements for a while before getting there. Nor do I think he was trapped there, just that there was seemingly no better alternative at the time. Maybe it is contrived, but I didn't dwell on the details as I could buy the idea that, while randomly showing up in places naked is mostly an annoyance, sometimes you could end up pretty damn screwed.

The problem I had with it was the ol' time paradox of the fact that she loves him because he's visited her all her life and tells her so, but he only goes back to her in the future/past because they're already married. Narratively it is interesting because of what they do/don't know about each other (and themselves) at various times of their lives, but the way it's set up they seemingly have no choice but to be married, and I find that somewhat unsatisfying. I don't know why this bit of determinism troubles me when the more specific incidents of things working out just as they're supposed to, like the wedding itself and the pregnancy don't. I guess I just don't like Love by authorial fiat, but it's not quite enough to ruin the whole book for me.

--
"later" meant either "when you walk around the corner" or "oatmeal."
[ Parent ]

0°F by ucblockhead (4.00 / 1) #4 Sun Jul 30, 2006 at 09:49:27 AM EST

At 0°F exposed skin is in danger of frostbite fairly quickly. Even if you keep your core temperature up, you're still in danger of losing extremities.
----
_{ウセーバラケダ}
[ Parent ]

esp. feet on pavement. by gzt (4.00 / 1) #5 Sun Jul 30, 2006 at 03:38:33 PM EST

at 32°F, bare feet on pavement will get bad frostbite in a few minutes. i believe things get exponentially worse as temperatures drop.

[ Parent ]

I have personal experience by Alan Crowe (4.00 / 1) #7 Mon Jul 31, 2006 at 05:18:26 PM EST

I like to go barefoot. I live in Edinburgh, Scotland, and remain barefoot all but a few days through the winter. When the puddles are frozen it is obviously below 32°F. I wrap up warm so that my body has surplus heat to dump and my feet flush with blood. My toes remain pink, wiggly and happy, and I still have them all.

Far from getting frostbite in a few minutes, I do not find 32°F unpleasant enough to be bothered putting my shoes on, even when I will be wearing them later for social reasons and have them in my bag with me.

I don't know how big a role acclimatisation plays. Perhaps if you fly in from living in Congo and try going barefoot in the Scottish winter you will get frostbite. Also Edinburgh is on the Firth of Forth and never gets much below freezing so 0°F might be a different matter entirely, I won't know.

[ Parent ]

fair nuff. by gzt (2.00 / 0) #8 Mon Jul 31, 2006 at 05:51:34 PM EST

some people's mileage may vary, but things do get exponentially worse. you're right, 32°F isn't so bad, but some people will be frostbitten soon enough, and 0°F is quite dangerous.

[ Parent ]

more personal experience by LoppEar (4.00 / 1) #9 Wed Aug 02, 2006 at 03:40:06 PM EST

Barefoot in wisconsin winters:

Below 15 deg F or so it is unbearably cold after about 5 minutes - start to lose feeling etc.
If there is existing snow that can stick to your feet, even a minute is enough to start to numb.

0F is decidedly different from 32F. But these are feet we're talking about, not core temp & death.

This abstract of a study suggests that nude exposure to 0F gives a survival time of 9hrs.

[ Parent ]