The Heart of Henry Quantum

 

The Heart of Henry Quantum by Pepper Harding

    Henry Quantum is another of the quirky characters we are seeing in books lately.  Henry’s quirk is his attention span, or lack of one. Or maybe it isn’t his attention span, maybe it’s just his worrisome nature to always be wondering, “what if” or maybe just that he’s a thinker and his brain is too busy to process all of his thoughts or maybe he just doesn’t like making a decision or maybe…  You get the idea.  A whole page or two at a time of Henry’s brain in gear can be funny and confusing (for the reader) and telling.

     It’s December 23 and forty year old Henry still hasn’t gotten his wife Margaret a Christmas gift.  This is the first thing he decides he needs to do, but with the option of about a million distractions and side tracks and diverse trains of thought, he is in many different directions, none of which find him at the scent counter of a department store. He tries, oh he tries.

     What he does find, quite by accident, is Daisy.  The love of his life.  The one who got away because they were both married at the time.  Seeing Daisy again really throws Henry into a spin because she tells him she just left her husband and wonders if there is anything left for them.  Henry’s day and brain just got more befuddled.

     This story takes place in one day. We are given three stories, Henry’s, Margaret’s and Daisy’s.  Once you get used to Henry, and I suppose that’s what all people who know him say, he’s endearing.  This really is a charming story and I guarantee the next time you find your mind wandering in the middle of a thought, you’ll think of Henry.