“I don’t understand it any more than you do, but one thing I’ve learned is that you don’t have to understand things for them to be.” – Madeleine L’Engle
My first experience with A Wrinkle in Time, was in fourth grade, when our teacher read it aloud to us. The part where Meg uses her love for Charles Wallace to face down the monstrous IT stayed with me for years. I then read the book on my own, as a kid. Decades later, when my son was eleven, I read the book to him. Just recently, I read it again to my daughter, who is also now eleven.
I found that the novel aged well. It’s amazing to me that it was written in 1964. The mom is an accomplished scientist, and the most powerful characters all present as female. More over, what must have seemed wise and progressive back then still seems wise and progressive now. A lot of it, I still can’t grasp, like the concept of the tesseract. Yet, the concept of time travel, and multi-verses, and the fight against darkness and conformity – well, that’s been covered in many stories, both before and after A Wrinkle in Time.
But there’s something about this novel that makes it special. Perhaps it’s how it preaches kindness and self-acceptance. Perhaps it’s the theme, that as cheesy as it sounds, love conquers all. Or, maybe it’s the timeless storytelling, that appeals to kids and adults alike, for generations.
My daughter loved it, so much that she wants me to read The Wind in the Door next. We started it last night.
If you’ve never read A Wrinkle in Time, or if it’s been years since you read it, I recommend picking it up. This one is a classic.
Such a great book. Haven’t read it in years. Should give it another look.