Recursion

Barry is the first character the novel introduces, making him an early reader surrogate. He learns about FMS and alternate timelines along with the reader. Barry’s life changed forever when his daughter, Meghan, died by a hit and run. He divorced his wife, Julia, and threw himself into his work with the NYPD. At the beginning of the novel, Barry harbors some resentment toward Julia, privately feeling that she didn’t try hard enough to make their marriage work after Meghan’s death. Barry’s arc involves releasing this resentment, accepting that his marriage wasn’t meant to last forever, and falling in love with Helena.

In the latter sections of the book, Barry’s role is to support Helena, researching scientific theories he believes might be useful. Barry is aware that he only continues to be with Helena because she continues to seek him out, and she could easily restart a timeline that does not include him. Even though it might be easier to allow himself to forget about Helena and the memory chair, Barry is devoted to her and to the work.

Marcus Slade is the novel’s primary villain. The novel most commonly refers to him as “Slade,” although Helena sometimes also calls him Marcus. When Slade appears in the novel, he is a high-profile businessman and innovator. Helena knows him by name, and she is shocked to hear that he has been following her work. Eventually, however, Slade reveals his darker background.

In the original timeline, Slade was a junkie working under Helena, and he murdered her to grab control of the memory chair. Slade regretted that he hadn’t accomplished more in his life, and he interpreted Helena’s invention of the chair as his second chance. With his knowledge of upcoming inventions and technological advancements, Slade can represent himself as more brilliant than he is. When the team on the oil rig tests the chair to see if it can send a subject back in time, the test subject is a drug addict named Reed. Despite coming from similar circumstances, Slade is completely unsympathetic to Reed. He implies that Reed owes Slade his life, and he refuses to let him go even with Reed commits suicide.

Jee-woon is Slade’s second in command and the only member of the team on the oil rig who remains fully loyal to Slade after he begins experimenting with killing subjects in the deprivation tank to send them back in time. Jee-woon is neat and friendly, but he can be brutal and cold when he carries out Slade’s orders. The novel doesn’t delve deeply into Jee-woon’s backstory, but he is likely interested in the project, like Slade, for its financial potential. Jee-woon does eventually realize the gravity of what they have done, and he asks Barry to fix things if he can find a way to do so.

John Smith is Helena’s next employer after Slade, and he is, in some ways, Slade’s foil. Unlike Slade, John truly wants to use the chair to create a better world. Although he is naïve about the chair’s danger, he listens to Helena when she tells him that traveling years back in time could lead to uncontrollable consequences. John wants their team to feel democratic and fair, but he also has a difficult time letting go of the idea that the chair can be used for good. John’s arc serves as evidence that Helena was right, and no matter who uses the chair, its power is too dangerous to saddle. 

Julia is Barry’s ex-wife. She lived with Barry and their daughter Meghan in New Jersey, but the couple separated after Meghan’s death (in another timeline, they separate after Meghan leaves for college). After their divorce, Julia marries a man named Anthony. She and Barry remain in occasional contact, having lunch on Meghan’s birthday, but rarely seeing each other on other occasions. Although things are slightly awkward between them, they have a polite relationship and reminisce about being a family. Like Barry, Julia is rocked by grief after Meghan’s death. In the Epilogue, when Barry finally apologizes for holding onto anger and tells Julia that he wouldn’t change a thing, she is stunned and gratefully agrees.