Replay – Ken Grimwood
100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: Jeff Winston is 43-years-old with a dead-end job and unhappy marriage. During his last moments of consciousness after a massive heart attack, he thinks about all the ways he’d do life differently. When he comes to, it’s not in a hospital room, but his dorm at Emory University where the now 18-year-old can replay the last 25 years of his life.
Expectation: An exploration of second chances and following your passion.
Reality: A completely underrated, highly influential novel that introduces a wealth of ideas about regret and happiness.
Recommended For: Anyone that loved Stephen King’s “11/22/63,” Matt Haig’s “The Midnight Library,” Blake Crouch’s “Dark Matter” and “Recursion” and, of course, the films “Groundhog Day” and “Back to the Future.”
Why I Read It: It had been on my TBR list for more than three years.
My Take:
In my early days on Goodreads — circa 2007 — I wrote what is still my most popular and divisive review, a tepid response to Richard Matheson’s “I Am Legend and Other Stories.”
My chief complaint was, even though he may have been the first author to tackle the subject matter, in the years since publication many other writers have taken those ideas and made them better. I found it all very “ho-hum” (a direct quote).
In the 15 years since, I’ve read hundreds of books that have expanded and challenged my first versus better mentality when it comes to ideas. I think it’s more important to celebrate originality — even if it can feel antiquated by today’s standards — and acknowledge and celebrate your inspiration.
Which brings me to Ken Grimwood’s “Replay,” one of the most influential science fiction novels of the past 40 years that you’ve probably never heard of. First published in 1986, it explores how you’d do life differently if given a second (or in this case third, fourth, fifth and sixth) chance.
Our protagonist, Jeff Winston, is a 43-year-old with a middling career and failing marriage. When he wakes up in his college dorm room after suffering a heart attack, he quickly recognizes that now is the chance to be the person he always wanted to be, but the conventions of the time — get married, start a family, be grateful for the job you have — didn’t allow.
Using his knowledge of future events, he quickly amasses a fortune and becomes a wunderkind in the investment world. He also tries to change the future by preventing John F. Kennedy’s assassination and preventing his best friend from committing suicide.
After being spurned by his current wife — she’s not impressed with his wealth — he marries a well-heeled blue blood and has a daughter. Things aren’t perfect, but they are better. When he dies again at 43-years-old, the “replay” begins again but with a few months shaved off.
The realization that he’ll keep living the same 25 years over and over prompts Jeff to explore different facets of his interests, but he becomes generally lonely, bored and burdened by the knowledge he possesses. Then he meets a fellow replayer, Pamela, and everything changes.
Within each replay, Grimwood explores the ideas of love, regret and responsibility. Jeff remains a likeable character throughout his various incarnations, and it’s fun to see the subtle shifts the author adds to each replay.
There was also something cathartic in revisiting world history from 1963 to 1988 and recognizing that as much as things have changed, very little has on the socio-political front.
Many times, throughout the novel, I thought, “I’ve heard this before” or “this is ripping off ‘11/22/63’” and that’s when I researched “Replay” and realized it was, in fact, the source material (at least to my knowledge).
My main complaint is that Grimwood tried to do too much. A few of the replays dragged and there are many unanswered questions. And, that’s where it’s fun to see how writers and creators have since taken this idea and made it their own.
From sports betting to gain wealth (“Back to the Future, Part II”), the tedium of replaying the same section of life (“Groundhog Day”), the consequences of changing world events (“11/22/63”), numerous alternate versions of yourself existing (“Dark Matter”), how knowledge of future events will erode your sanity (“Recursion”) and trying out different romantic and professional interests (“The Midnight Library”), these ideas all succeeded based on the blueprint Grimwood created.
William Dufris narrated the audiobook, and it’s a good way to experience the story. After the first replay, it’s easy to follow the plot and general ideas of the novel, making this a great audiobook for novice listeners. Dufris’ narration is engaging but a little drab. I would’ve loved a dedicated narrator for Pamela, as the exchanges between her and Jeff really are the heart of the story.
It’s a shame that Grimwood died while working on a sequel, because it would’ve been fascinating to see how he tweaked the formula after a few of his proteges entered the fray. If you are a fan of any of the stories noted a before, I highly encourage you to give “Replay” a read and help grow the awareness of his forgotten classic.
Rating (story): 4/5 stars
Rating (narration): 3/5 stars
Formats: Audiobook (library loan)
Dates read: July 11 – July 16, 2022
Multi-tasking: Good to go. Grimwood keeps the story relatively contained to the same characters and similar-ish situations, but you’ll want to pay attention to how the world shifts during each replay.
