George Falls Through Time
Glum Londoner George is at a crossroads. Laid off from his data entry job and recently dumped by his boyfriend, he’s trying to find meaning in an aimless life. When George is unexpectedly pulled through time to 1300, he has an opportunity to test his mettle in the brutish world of the Middle Ages. Out of a suspicious populace, one believes George’s claim of time travel—a man named Simon, who teaches him the language and the customs of 14th-century England. George is both uneasy and enamored with Simon’s unquestioning devotion and begins to fall in love. But the idea of a peaceful life with Simon is shattered when an envoy from King Edward I arrives at their smallholding. There are reports of a dragon in the countryside around Scarborough and the king calls on the time-traveling George to slay the dragon.
Do not let the bright, cartoonish cover fool you into thinking this is a lighthearted historical fantasy. This is a more serious literary novel than its packaging promises, full of regret, self-loathing, and good old-fashioned ennui. George is, to be frank, a miserable person and seems determined to remain miserable in the past. He shies from allowing himself happiness with Simon, slipping into guilt-riddled memories threaded through with internalized homophobia. Their romance does have some touching, even poetic moments, but these are tucked in between an unrelenting narrative of despondency. Along with this, the novel is light on history. Despite being peopled by real historical figures, their words and attitudes are indistinguishable from those of the 21st century George. George Falls Through Time doesn’t know if it wants to be a historical, a fantasy, a romance, or an intellectual novel. It succeeds at none of them.
