Time Travel for Beginners by Jaclyn Moriarty review – an imaginative tale of turning back time

The YA author’s third novel for adults wears its quantum physics lightly, but it is a delight to be lost in its rich, character-driven world Anyone familiar with Jaclyn Moriarty’s work will love her quiet whimsy and gentle magic. Across her extensive catalogue of books for adults and children, Moriarty has a flair for knitting together the worlds of magic and reality. In Time Travel For Beginners, Moriarty’s third novel for adults, the eponymous time travel agency is a gateway to possibility and wonder – for characters and readers alike. Found between a gelato bar and a pharmacy in Sydney’s Neutral Bay, the agency is neither hi-tech nor magical. Described at varying points as “riotous”, “unassuming” and “a joke”, it isn’t exactly the height of prestige. Protagonist Anna takes a job there in a concussed haze after she’s been hit by a car. But even though Anna doesn’t believe in time travel, from her first day she senses something special about her new workplace. Time travel here comes with a few rules: you can only travel to the past, and nothing you do there will make a difference to the present. Many punters write the agency off as a slightly expensive