"In some distant arcade, a clock tower calls out six times and then stops. The young man slumps at his desk. He has come to the office at dawn, after another upheaval. His hair is uncombed and his trousers are too big. In his hand he holds twenty crumpled pages, his new theory of time, which he will mail today to the German journal of physics."

Thus begins Lightman's tale of a German patent office clerk and his unusual dreams. The clerk's name is Albert Einstein. The year is 1905, Einstein's miracle year. For the past few months, he has been dreaming about time, its possible natures unfolding in his imagination. These dreams have preoccupied him, taking over his research, depriving him of sleep. Eventually, he compiles these dreams into a theory of time.

The novel consists mostly of these dreams. It begins with a prologue, followed by 8 dreams, then an interlude, followed by another 8 dreams, another interlude, 8 more dreams, one final interlude, 6 additional dreams, and then closes with an epilogue. All of the dreams either illustrate one of time's many aspects or describe a particular interpretation of time in general. In each dream, a brief yet creative and amazingly detailed story explains confusing concepts of time in a simple, enjoyable fashion.

For example, in Einstein's third dream, a man is standing on a balcony, contemplating whether or not to visit a certain woman. Three alternate futures take place simultaneously. In one, he decides not to see her again. Devoting himself to his work and to his friends, he meets another woman three years later. They fall in love slowly but steadily and spend the rest of their lives together, quiet and contented. In the second, he decides to visit her, even though he barely knows her. He falls in love with her, madly, passionately. Though she behaves violently and treats him badly, he is happy in his sufferings. In the third possible future, he also decides he must see her again. She invites him in and they have a nice conversation over a cup of tea. However, she is not interested in him as a lover and, feeling empty inside, the man returns home and stands on his balcony. This story shows time as having three dimensions just as space does. Each act, each decision has three possible outcomes. Each of these outcomes is real and moves in a different direction of time. Each outcome creates its own world. The people inhabiting it are the same but their fates are different. A puzzling scientific concept fleshed out and rendered comprehensible through story.

Though Lightman's ability to express science simply and poetically is quite fascinating, his style of writing is equally striking. There are no wasted words. Each one is carefully selected to illuminate the idea behind the story in a fresh, simple manner. Lightman's imagery is breathtaking. Even with few words, he paints vivid, convincing pictures of the characters and landscapes in his stories. His writing is fluid and illusive, much like time itself.

Also compelling is Lightman's characterization of Einstein himself, revealed in the prologue, the interludes, and the epilogue. He is portrayed as dreamy and introspective, preoccupied with his own musings and rather indifferent to everyday life. Lightman goes so far as to describe Einstein as "[not] good dinner company." Michele Besso, Einstein's good friend, appears in the interludes, conversing with Einstein. Einstein has been confiding his reasons for wanting to understand time to his friend. "I want to understand time because I want to get close to The Old One." Besso is quite impressed with Einstein's ambition and feels that he is capable of almost anything but is skeptical as to whether or not this knowledge will bring his friend closer to the one who created the universe. He finds this desire for closeness odd since Einstein is such a recluse.

In the epilogue, the dreams have ended. Einstein gives the manuscript of his theory of time to a typist, who will make a copy suitable for submission to the German journal of physics. He then goes and looks out the window. "He feels empty. He has no interest in reviewing patents or talking to Besso or thinking of physics. He feels empty, and he stares without interest at . . . the Alps." He has found the answers and, as a result, wonder and curiosity have been drained from him. There is nothing left to ask, nothing left to contemplate. Perhaps, as humans, it is our job is to marvel and imagine. As the mystery of the universe around us unfolds itself to us, we are kept fresh and alive by our lack of answers. Perhaps the way to get close to The Old One is not to know the answers but to ask the questions.

Through an intricate weave of art and science, Lightman uses the mysterious world of dreams to explain the equally mysterious realm of time. Einstein's Dreams is a beguiling, thought-provoking, and extremely worthwhile read.

--Teresa Santoski