BookBrowse Reviews Big Time by Ben H. Winters

BookBrowse:

The swift pacing and twists of a mystery combine with big ideas about the very nature of time in this speculative techno-thriller.

Big Time, the latest offering from prolific novelist and screenwriter Ben H. Winters, is as philosophical as it is electrifying to read. Set in the near future, the novel follows the interwoven stories of three Maryland women. Allie has just escaped an attempted kidnapping. Awakening in the hospital with fragmented memories and a strange device implanted in her chest, she is adamant that someone is still after her, though she doesn't know why. Desiree is Allie's would-be assailant. She was hired to bring the target to her client and is determined to see the job through no matter the cost. Grace balances caring for her teenage child and aging mother with her work at the Center for Devices and Radiological Health. She is brought in after hours to look into the unusual model of portacath (see Beyond the Book) found inside Allie.

Grace's investigation sparks the unravelling of a dangerous conspiracy built on the notion that time may be a physical entity held within all of us. If it can be isolated and harvested, time could be taken from one person and implanted into another, essentially shortening someone's lifespan in order to extend that of someone else. She soon realizes that Allie has been an unwitting test subject in a morally corrupt experiment, knowledge that will put both women at great risk.

Despite grappling with grand concepts like the ethics of contemporary science and the nature of time itself, the novel never gets bogged down in its own philosophical wonderings. Instead, these ideas form the framework for a speculative, corporate thriller that favors intrigue and a focus on its characters over a desire to present solid answers to any of the questions it poses about the potential future relationship between time, technology and humanity.

That is not to say, however, that the book does not have any worthwhile commentary to offer on the matter. There is, in fact, a significant thread on the human cost of scientific experimentation in the pursuit of medical breakthroughs. It asks us to consider the morality of pushing for advancement simply because something is theoretically possible, despite considerable risk, as well as the danger of exploitation if something like time were to become a commodity that vulnerable people could be pressured into selling.

Though the novel shifts regularly between the three women's third-person perspectives, each character remains distinctly drawn, ensuring readers can always keep track of who they are following at any given moment. When the story opens, we find Allie in a vulnerable, distressed state, but we watch her increasingly take back control as she resolves to find out why she has been targeted. Desiree, meanwhile, remains cold and ruthlessly determined to see her job through. She sits in stark contrast with Grace's strong moral compass and maternal instinct, which compel her to try to help Allie. Social commentary and further depth emerge around the experiences of Grace's teenager, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. Though their gender non-conforming identity is discussed, it is done so in a seamless, breezy way, never being the focus of any conflict or drama. Normalized, integrated representation of a variety of identities is important, and it is handled here with due sensitivity.

Although the climax comes and goes a bit too quickly, Big Time consistently remains as compelling to read as it is thought-provoking, meaning it should appeal to lovers of sci-fi thrillers and metaphysical musings alike.

This review first ran in the April 3, 2024 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.