We are always keeping track of the seconds, minutes, hours, days and years. We say that time is precious, however, many fail to recognise the value of time and disregard it often. While some people need time to end, others hope it would never end. Have you ever thought about how it was before people started counting time?
Addressing on a similar note, Mitch Albom’s The Time Keeper tells a remarkable story about the person who created time and how it changed over 6,000 years. It makes you consider how crucial time seems to be in the world. We are introduced to Dor, the first man who was punished and becomes Father Time when he invents the first clock. He is forced to hear the cries of people pleading for more time while being confined to a cave for 6,000 years. People continue to ask for more time, faster time, and slower time.
Dor’s freedom is given to him when his soul is on the verge of being torn down but only if he completes the task of imparting to two persons on Earth the true meaning of time. Only after that would he be allowed to unite with his family. He comes back to Earth and sets out on a search for the two people he is supposed to teach.
He assists two unusual people to end his curse: Sara Lemon, a young woman in love who wants time to pass more quickly, and Victor Delamonte, a powerful businessman who simply wants to live forever. Will Dor be able to teach them both the real value of time?
Without a question, The Time Keeper is a good book with a powerful message. The author wanted its readers to reflect on the value we place on time and how it can negatively or positively impact our lives. The idea was intriguing and lovely, but it lacked the charm that Albom’s writing is known for. Although I would read it again, I would be more willing to recommend Tuesdays with Morrie or Five People You Meet in Heaven than I would this book.