WHAT FOLKS ARE SAYING...

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“The Heartbreak of Time Travel is a stirring and fragmented exploration of time, love, and the grit of caregiving. Wingate, through the character Snuffy Cod, navigates a memoir of a woman caring for her husband, who is slowly losing his faculties due to dementia. Each chapter peels back the layers of their relationship as she blends biting humor with raw confessions, touching on everything from the mundane rituals of caregiving to existential reflections on time, memory, and impending loss. It’s a contemplative journey that often leans into the absurd, embracing life’s messiness and fragility with a sense of irony and defiant grace.

 

Wingate’s writing is both immersive and jarring. She employs a conversational, almost stream-of-consciousness approach that pulls readers into Snuffy’s headspace. This approach initially feels chaotic, especially when Snuffy switches between the first and third person, but it mirrors her fractured reality and internal conflict. Her desperate wish for her husband’s peaceful passing is heartbreaking yet brimming with love. This rawness makes the book feel personal and relatable. There’s no filter, no sugarcoating, just Wingate’s unvarnished truths laid bare.

 

One of the most memorable aspects of the book is Wingate’s handling of time. She weaves past memories, present duties, and future dreams as if they’re interchangeable, which feels appropriate for a book centered on time travel. In one chapter, Snuffy imagines time reversing so she and her husband can relive their “first kiss,” sparking a fresh, almost whimsical hope amidst the grimness of daily routines. This blend of longing for the past and dread for the future emphasizes the book’s title; it’s the heartbreak of reliving what can never be again, despite her attempts to “zip to future” or “zip to past.”

 

The humor in this book is one of its strongest elements. Even in moments of frustration, Wingate finds comedic relief. This humor doesn’t detract from the emotional weight. Instead, it makes Snuffy’s pain and resilience feel even more real, grounding the narrative in the strange ways people cope.

 

The Heartbreak of Time Travel is a challenging yet rewarding read for anyone who’s faced caregiving, loss, or the relentless passage of time. Wingate’s unfiltered and witty approach brings authenticity to every page. I think it’s ideal for readers who appreciate memoirs that are as humorous as they are haunting, as reflective as they are raw.” ~Thomas Anderson, Editor In Chief, Literary Titan

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"Like the quote from Kurt Vonnegut at the beginning of the book, “All time is all time” (SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE), this book feels as though it is running smoothly even while time is jumping between past, present, and future. This book is more than the sum of its parts. The emotions are real, the lives are strained, and the writing is beautiful." ~Terry Persun, multi-genre author and Amazon bestseller

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"I love what Susan Wingate writes. She can be so dark yet touching, and funny. She is such a special writer. Her latest story The Heartbreak of Time Travel is brilliant, rich—so powerful and interesting, smart and caring.” ~Marilyn R. Atlas, film manager/producer and co-author of "Dating Your Character"

 

"Written as autobiographical fiction, Susan Wingate's thinly veiled memoir looks at love and loss through the lens of life's ever-ticking clock. Heartbreaking and funny, tender and raw episodes of the past, present and the future, then back again, this story will slay you." -Sumi Majens, Spirit Counselor

 

"The story left me with the clear understanding that the afflicted one is only part of the equation in prolonged, debilitating illness. It gave me a glimpse of an ultimate pressure test on the vows - when one is faced with making good on the nuptial fineprint "in sickness and in health" so perfunctorily pledged when all is well. It makes me think of that line between duty and devotion and how one could be forgiven for, at times, questioning their own conviction." ~DC, Beta Reader 

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"A masterful job of capturing the feelings of caregiving a loved one with a foregone hopeless outcome." ~IO, Beta Reader

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"One thing about Susan Wingate's writing that consistently strikes me is its love. Between the characters, certainly, but more so it's her love that comes across to me. For the characters, the stories, and the deep love she carries just as a person. And her joy in the telling. The way she keeps up with it while dealing with some really difficult personal circumstances flummoxes me." ~MW, Beta Reader