Singularity
My friend Scott had the idea to ask the community at Making Light about the book I’ve been seeking. Thirteen minutes later… he had the answer.
Singularity by William Sleator. Anybody remember reading it?
south of the loop
Please Help Me, Internet
This has been bugging me for years, and if anybody can help me, it’s you.
I’m trying to remember a young adult book. I probably read it sometime between third and fifth grades, and it probably falls into the 8 – 12 year old category. I have no idea if it was new at the time, but I likely read it around 1987 or so. The basic plot, as I remember it:
Twin A and Twin B, both boys, are perhaps around 12 or 13 years old, or perhaps 16 or 17. I think they were getting ready to start either high school or college. Twin A is the more athletic one, and Twin B is always a little envious of his brother.
They either discover or build some sort of shack in their backyard that, when inside, time moves more quickly. I believe they figured out precisely how much more quickly, and make certain pacts with each other so that they don’t screw up their lives by spending too much time inside.
But then Twin B’s envy gets the better of him, and he spends an entire year in the shack—a year that passes in real time as a single night. He spends his time reading, doing situps, working out, trying to catch up to Twin A.
The book fell broadly into the category of sci-fi/fantasty, but definitely had broader appeal; I remember really enjoying it (and it’s stuck with me for the last twenty years). I don’t think it was a trendy book at the time (a la Twilight). And, of course, I could be misremembering the details I’ve outlined above.
I really want to read this book again and have never been able to pin it down. Do you remember reading this? Do you remember the title or author? Anything?
