Time's ArrowTime's Arrow
Score Modern
What it's about
A strange narrator lives inside the body of an old American doctor, experiencing his life backward, from his death to his birth. To the narrator, things make reverse sense: people get healthier, money is given back, and violence heals. As the doctor's life rewinds through America and wartime Europe, it arrives at Auschwitz, where, backward, it looks like healing.
Why it's worth reading
It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. It's a short, daring novel about the Holocaust.
You'll love it if you liked
Slaughterhouse-Five
Austerlitz
The Painted BirdGood to know
It's short and disorienting. The Auschwitz section is disturbing.
By the numbers
- Readers6 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics32 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller11 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #440 of the 459 fantasy books we rank
- #1525 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #2751 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous, Epic, Thought-provoking
More by Martin Amis
If you like this, read next
A Deepness in the Sky
Parable of the Sower
Good Omens
Blindness
Doomsday Book
Making MoneyExplore the best-of lists
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Quick answers
Is Time's Arrow worth reading?
Yes. It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. It ranks #2,751 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 54.0 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Time's Arrow about?
A strange narrator lives inside the body of an old American doctor, experiencing his life backward, from his death to his birth. To the narrator, things make reverse sense: people get healthier, money is given back, and violence heals. As the doctor's life rewinds through America and wartime Europe, it arrives at Auschwitz, where, backward, it looks like healing.
How long does it take to read Time's Arrow?
About 4 hours (165 pages), or about 8 days at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Time's Arrow?
If you liked it, try Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald or The Painted Bird by Jerzy Kosiński.