Henry DeTamble

Grew Up… happily, at first. His mother was kind and loving, and his father was a professional violinist. That all changed when his mother died in a car accident. Neither Henry nor his father has truly dealt with her death.  

Living… in Chicago. Mostly. Henry has a disorder that causes him to time-travel randomly. He can’t control when he goes, where he goes, or how long he stays. Sometimes he’s in Chicago, sometimes he’s in Michigan, and sometimes he’s somewhere else completely.

Profession… librarian at the Newberry Library in Chicago. He enjoys the orderly, chronological nature of the library (which is so different from his own life). It’s there that he meets Clare Abshire for the first time – at least, that he can recall. Clare already seems to know him.

Interests… cooking, reading, and surviving. When Henry time-travels, he can’t take anything with him – food, clothing, ID, anything. He’s become quite adept at lock picking and stealing to get by. He also enjoys running, to keep his mind quiet and try to prevent time traveling.

Relationship Status… in love with Clare. Apparently, an older version of him has been visiting her since she was young. He knows they’re destined to be together. But time traveling makes relationships difficult to maintain. He says, “I hate to be where [Clare] is not, when [Clare] is not. And yet, I am always going, and she cannot follow.”

Challenge… maintaining his relationship with Clare. They’re never in sync, but they still love each other. Henry is determined to find a way to cure his time traveling so he can finally feel settled with her.

Personality… varied. Henry is different ages at the same time. Depending on which Henry you’re speaking to, he can be an immature womanizer or a devoted and loving husband. Either way, he’s intelligent, resourceful, and a little neurotic. He stresses himself out, and that only increases how often he time-travels.