Setting
Unraveling Time's Tapestry
In Strange Attractors, Sleator skillfully crafts a vivid tapestry of time's unpredictability. His depiction of a universe where time itself is caught in a tempest—racing forward, slowing to a crawl, and surging tumultuously across the earth—is truly extraordinary. The story opens in an ordinary suburban dwelling in an American city, where Max awakens, bewildered, believing today to be yesterday. He finds himself robbed of a day he eagerly anticipated. His journey leads him to a nearly vacant home, where he encounters a scientist named Sylvan and his daughter, Eve. In a curious twist, he stumbles upon a cluttered apartment, meeting—astonishingly—the same Sylvan and Eve. Each location is a puzzle piece in the mystery of identity.
A Whirlwind Across Ages and Continents
From the realm of the mundane, Max is whisked away to North America in 33,019 B.C., a vast, desolate grassland dotted with trees. The enigma of a mobile home there is puzzling, compounded by his need to traverse the cosmos from that ancient past to the bustling streets of twenty-first-century Bangkok, and back to its early 20th-century incarnation. Sleator, who frequently resides in Thailand, conjures an evocative tableau of Bangkok's inhabitants and their abodes as Max and Eve meander down a river in a forsaken boat. Yet, beneath the serene surface, hidden perils lurk, posing existential threats not only to humanity's future but to the universe's very fabric. This impending doom becomes apparent when they visit a divergent universe, a world spun from time's bifurcation. Fear grips its people as chaos reigns, their lives oscillating unpredictably. Sleator's masterstroke lies in breathing life into his chaotic vision of time within the confines of the second Sylvan and Eve's apartment—a world unhinged and spiraling into madness.
Literary Qualities
The Intricacies of Quantum Bifurcations
The notion of splitting timelines is a labyrinthine concept explored in Strange Attractors. Within this dense web of quantum mechanics, Sleator endeavors to untangle these complexities, ensuring his readers grasp how such bifurcations weave through the plot’s fabric. His mission demands choices: first, identifying his audience. Should his readers be prodigious high school science aficionados, he might indulge in a plethora of technical jargon, bypassing the need for exhaustive explanations. However, Sleator seems to cast a wider net, drawing in readers enticed by the adventurous spirit of Strange Attractors, regardless of their physics prowess. This decision leads him to carefully select what must be elucidated and what should remain shrouded. Anything entwined with his characters' motives or their fraught predicaments necessitates clarity. Yet, Sleator treads the precarious path of halting his narrative if he dwells excessively on foundational "bifurcations." Thus, he begins:
Changing the past is the big problem with time travel. Let's say you went into the past and accidentally killed your father when he was a boy. Then you never would have been born. But if you had never been born, how could you go into the past and accidentally kill your father? It's an impossible paradox.
Exploring Paradoxes and Bifurcations
This succinct paragraph achieves dual objectives. Firstly, it presents a time-travel paradox familiar to most readers, serving as the quintessential argument against the feasibility of time travel. Secondly, it introduces the concept of bifurcations as a potential remedy to the paradoxes suggested by time travel — drawing upon "quantum mechanics and the theory of multiple universes, or timelines." Having laid the groundwork in straightforward terms, Sleator reassures his audience of a forthcoming solution, enticing them with the promise of clarity. In this framework, altering the past triggers a split or bifurcation in the timeline.
The term bifurcates
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bifurcates becomes pivotal as the narrative of Strange Attractors unfolds. This term acts as a succinct shorthand for "the splitting of time into divergent paths," allowing the narrative to flow smoothly without the need for cumbersome repetitions. Moreover, it encapsulates the core of Max’s terror in a chaotic realm where time unravels. It sounds authentically scientific, enhancing the suspension of disbelief for Sleator’s captivated audience.
A Fragile Past and Metaphorical Dangers
As Max is drawn deeper into the mysteries of time travel and Strange Attractors, Sleator uses Sylvan II to articulate the peril in imaginative metaphors:
The past is exquisitely fragile because it's frozen. You could say it's like a forest of delicate glass ornaments, all connected to one another, and you have to creep through it without brushing against a single thing. Or it's like . . . like an arrangement of millions of dominoes, balanced close beside one another. Knocking against just one of them will bring all the others crashing down.
These vivid images enrich Sylvan II's character, revealing his fertile imagination and ability to paint poetic pictures of scientific abstractions.
The Familiarity of the Phaser
The phaser, an object that becomes inseparable from Max, is so integral to him that its absence feels like the loss of a limb. This invention of Sleator's imagination could take any form, yet he chooses the following:
The object looked sort of like a clunky, old-fashioned calculator, about five inches long and an inch thick, with a display screen and a small array of keys. What was unusual about it was that it seemed homemade, not mass-produced. The surface was rough and unpolished. I could see the little screws holding the metal plates together, and in a couple of places the edges were not joined perfectly, leaving narrow gaps through which the mess of wires and chips on the inside was partly visible. There was a piece of electrical tape covering a bump at the bottom of the key panel.
Though this description may seem mundane, perhaps that's Sleator's intention. In an era where young people often wield pocket calculators at school, these devices are so ubiquitous they blend seamlessly into a teenager's possessions. For some, a calculator is as intrinsic as an arm or leg. Thus, Sleator crafts his phaser into something familiar, easing his audience into imagining how Max might handle it, press its keys, and even reassemble it.
Foreboding Hints and Narrative Suspense
Another of Sleator's achievements in Strange Attractors is his deft use of foreshadowing. Meticulously placed details hint at future events, building an aura of suspense. Throughout the narrative, Sleator deploys foreshadowing to tantalize his audience, complicate Max’s quest for the truth about the two Sylvans and two Eves, mislead his readers, and heighten the tension. Consider the following seemingly innocuous passage:
But I was surprised to see a whole collection of stuffed furry animals on the shelves, bed, and floor. They seemed out of character for such a competent and down-toearth person.
Max's gaze drifts across the landscape of Eve II's bedroom, a realm where innocence whispers through the presence of her cherished stuffed animals. The enigma of whether Eve is the harbinger of virtue or vice lingers unresolved in the narrative of Strange Attractors. The collection of plush companions surrounding Eve II suggests a gentle purity. Might Sleator be weaving a subtle hint into this scene, foreshadowing her potential goodness?
As Max finds himself momentarily captivated by Eve II and her beloved teddy bear, a wave of empathy washes over him. This tender sentiment arises despite his desperate yearning for the other Eve and the lure of time travel. Yet, Sleator cunningly employs a sleight of hand akin to that of a seasoned illusionist, steering our focus away from what truly matters. The essence of this encounter is not Eve II's affinity for her soft friends, nor is it Max's fleeting compassion. It's neither a mere suggestion of Eve II's innocence that holds significance.
The true importance lies in that teddy bear and Max's intrinsic pull toward Strange Attractors, like phasers, which will unfold within the chaotic dance of bifurcated timelines. Through a brief narrative moment, Sleator skillfully teases forthcoming revelations, keeping his audience entangled in the unfolding mystery.
For Further Reference
Burns, Mary M. In the Horn Book Magazine, vol. 66, no. 2 (March/April 1990): 210-211, Burns finds herself captivated by the narrative of Strange Attractors, weaving a tale that enchants its readers.
Daggett, Margaret L. In "Recommended: William Sleator," featured in the English Journal, vol. 76 (March 1987): 93-94, Daggett unveils the allure of Sleator's works, highlighting his unique connection with high school students and the impact of his storytelling.
Davis, James, and Hazel Davis. Their insightful volume, Presenting William Sleator, published in New York by Macmillan in 1992, delves into the tapestry of Sleator's life, unveiling the intricate ways it intertwines with the themes and narratives of his fiction.
Roback, Diane. In the pages of Publishers Weekly, vol. 236, no. 20 (November 24, 1989): 72, Roback praises Strange Attractors as a perfect match for its readers. She describes it as "Sleator's latest high-tech thriller that intrigues and stimulates thought, culminating in a clever surprise ending."
Sleator, William. In his essay, "Chaos, Strange Attractors, and Other Peculiarities in the English Classroom," found in Authors' Insights: Turning Teenagers into Readers and Writers, edited by Donald R. Gallo (Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 1992), pp. 43-52, Sleator explores the power of science fiction to spark the imaginations of young readers. It reveals his deep consideration for the interests and curiosities of his audience.