Every Fantasy book is based on a nonreal world. That’s the name of the game. It requires suspension of disbelief on the part of readers. “If this was true, then all the rest of the story would be logical.” This goes double for Time Travel stories. Most authors try desperately to make it all work logically, going to great detail to persuade readers that it all could happen. Honest, it could. And they often waste a lot of our reading time and our patience at this attempt, but the Time Travel Paradox always shows up anyway.

But some authors don’t. They simply say, “You’ve accepted the premise of my story. Now ignore all that, sit back and enjoy the ride.” My Twelve-Year-Old Wife doesn’t try very hard to keep us in the loop. Like all Fantasy, it’s about realistic people dealing with unrealistic situations. We don’t need the magic explained in detail. Just sketch in the powers, tell us the rules, and let’s see how these characters deal with their challenges.

So, don’t expect any complicated explanations of how this all works. Sometimes three versions of the title character exist at the same time. Sometimes in the same place. And nobody goes, “”Fizzle-pop!” or fades out or spasms. They just act like normal people. Because it is the characters and their personalities that count in this story. In watching the preteen version of his wife deal with a horrible situation, Dan learns about his real-time wife, and what she has secretly been living through all the time he has known her. And what a wonderful person she is. Every time. And that’s what we picked up the book for.

The time travel incidents come thick and fast, creating plenty of suspense, although the reader isn’t always sure what’s going on. We never do get the rules straight.

If you want time travel philosophy from this book, you’re going to be disappointed. This story is light on magic, heavy on characterization, and has good action and suspense. It just requires a bit more suspension of disbelief than most.

Four stars.

This review was originally posted on Reedsy Discovery.