Replay - Ken Grimwood

Time travel stories hold tremendous potential to shed light on the meaning of human life - and this book hits a home run in this regard.

Jeff Winston dies at age 43 only to rewaken in his eighteen-year-old body. He maintains all the memories of his life. He takes advantage of his knowledge of the future and through gambling and investments becomes a very wealthy man. However, happiness eludes him. He dies again at age 43, and the same thing occurs. This time around he decides to uncover the meaning of life, studying philosophy and seeking deep meaningful relationships. He dies again. He is frustrated that all his efforts ultimately are erased - coming to nothing. The third time around he lives a hedonistic lifestyle until he meets another "replayer."

Each time around the cycle is shorter, because he awakens later in life. Though it initially seemed like he had forever - with an infinity of second chances - he realizes that he has squandered too much of the precious time granted him in bitterness, guilt, and futile quests. Will he uncover life's meaning before his time is ultimately up?

In many ways, this book is about our own lives. Will we make the most of the opportunities we are given? Do we realize that even if we could do it all over again this would be no guarantee things would be better - only different? What do we do with happiness that is so frustratingly brief - a few "transient moments of love and contentment like vanishing specks of foam in a sea of lonely, needless separation"? Great book!