10:04 by Ben Lerner does something that not many other fiction novels do or rather do well. While reading the novel I noticed that the narrator who’s never named constantly envisions his future. But it’s not like other novels where they say something along the lines of ‘I imagine myself….” but instead it immediately drops you into that “alternate reality” sort of future. This does a lot for the immersion of not only the characters but the story as well. At first it’s almost jarring in the way the text instantly switches from present day thoughts to fantasizing about the future. Furthermore, the explanation of the natural disasters that occur throughout the novel also are laid out very plainly.

So far, all of the novels we have read thus far include some form of climate change awareness or something to do with the anthropocene. This novel is no different and it does what all the other novels do where the affects of climate change are apparent, just not focussed on(with the exception of maybe Parable of the Sower). With this style of writing, it does something i’ve talked about before which is how fiction teaches the concepts of an idea without focussing on it. Many write off the idea of fiction novels or series simply because they believe they have nothing to gain from them. Aside from the obvious answer of enjoyment, some believe it is a waste of time. However, the introduction of the hurricane and how people went about their lives to prepare for it was almost unreal in a sense. As described in the book, the narrator and Alex simply take the train to Whole Foods and acquire the materials needed to have a safe night or few days. Not only that, they were told to fill up the bathtub with water just in case they ran out of clean drinking water, which the government told them to be prepared to be without for a few days.

All in all, the simple casualness of how people go about their lives, really indicates the absurdity of the situation. Although some places on earth are accustomed to having natural disasters for decades(Japan), some places like New York City are not. And so it is seen scrambling to find a way to adapt and while it may, it wont be fast enough. The recent flooding of New York City provides a great example of how our main mode of transportation simply shut down in many places across the city. So what happens when it happens again and it’s worse? Is there any preparation being made to combat theses increasingly active natural disasters?

While reading the novel 10:04, I noticed that it shares several similarities with The Hungry Tide. Both books explore the concept of time and temporality, focusing on its unstable, mobile, and flexible nature. In The Hungry Tide, Nirmal takes Kanai back in time using his notebook to the Morichjhapi incident. Throughout the book, the narrative switches back and forth between the past and the present. A similar technique is used in 10:04, where the story frequently jumps between the past, present, and even the future. For instance, when Ben visits the hospital to donate his sperm, he questions whether he should be involved with his future child and spirals into a conversation he would have with his future child about the process behind their birth (10:04, pp. 92-94). In The Hungry Tide, when Piya sees Fokir’s towel, it triggers memories of her home and family. When Fokir is cooking on the boat, the smell reminds Piya of her mother’s cooking. I find this part interesting because Piya is far from home, taken back in time not just in her memories but also in her surroundings. “They were almost lost to her, those images of the past, and nowhere had she less expected to see them than on this boat.”(The Hungry Tide, p. 78,80). Piya and Kanai come from a metropolitan city and move into a surrounding such as Lusibari, which is from the past and lacks electricity and technology. For instance, when Kanai had to walk in the mud to get to Lusibari. The locals did not find it uncanny but, Kanai feels uncanny. He is the futuristic character at that moment. Again, similar in 10:04, Noor talks about how she finds out that her father wasn’t her biological father, “I had always thought of my skin was dark, because I took after him because I was Arab-American, and as I sat there looking at my hands… I could see my skin whitening”(104). Noor appeared to be fading away because something in her past had changed, and it was affecting her in the present. Similar to the movie Back to the Future, where the main character begins to disappear because his parents don’t get together. Noor’s situation is because the man she thought was her father wasn’t her biological father, and her parents never had the chance to conceive her together. 

The novels 10:04 and The Hungry Tide share similarities in their exploration of time and temporality. Both books frequently jump between the past, present, and future, and their characters are taken back in time through memories and surroundings. In both Ghosh and Lerner’s novels, the concept of time plays a significant role in character development and plot advancement. The authors employ various techniques to depict time, such as flashbacks and foreshadowing, which enrich the narrative and provide a deeper understanding of the characters’ motivations and actions. Through these methods, the audience gains insight into the characters’ past experiences and how they shape their present circumstances, creating a more immersive and engaging reading experience.

While writing this post, I was reminded of Clausen’s literary analysis and criticism of Parable of the Sower. The novels emphasize the idea that the past can have a significant impact on the present and future. I believe that this theme is used to convey the message that climate change is the outcome of past actions that are affecting the present, and if not addressed, will continue to impact the future. Clausen also highlights the significance of understanding the past to comprehend science fiction and cli-fi as it provides an opportunity for recovering a usable past. Despite being set in the present, the novels delve into history and politics, which emphasizes the fact that the past’s influence on the future is undeniable.

Before diving into this book I took an interest in the title alone. Who names a book “10:04” that’s not a normal occurrence. What would it even be about especially since we have been talking about cli-fi so maybe it can be about the time the world came collapsing down. These questions I would often think about and I wouldn’t read the back of the book because I wanted to keep that excitement alive. But when we started reading all of it washed away. I feel like there’s a good story to tell, especially since the book feels like a nonfiction story. But there just seems like there’s so much detail about the littlest of things that just take away from any kind of story that is being told. So I do find it interesting that Lerner and his old fling Alex still connected as friends in the present time but she comes to him for his semen. Well that last part happens in the world we have sperm banks for a reason. While there are side stories that talk about the most random things and are sometimes pretty difficult to follow along with the main focal point at least from what I have read so far has been about them two.

I think that this part is great while there are a lot of details it still hold its own against pretty much whatever else Lerner talks about because it comes back so frequently. Not only that but it actually has an effect on Lerner. He has this war in his head as he goes into the sperm bank. It’s as if his thoughts become fragmented with each part thinking about something else. his health being deteriorated as his heart continues to fail on him. He also questions the future if the sperm actually does give Alex the kid that she indeed wants then what do they tell them. Do they tell the kid how it was made and that it wasn’t the person he mothers with rather than just a friend. But even after all of these thoughts he gets aroused with what is happening still finding it difficult with what he is supposed to be doing. Even with an entire catalog at his disposal, in which none of it he actually likes, his mind still wanders back into the thoughts of the possible future of which this all works out in the end. This leads him into a drunken fit after completing the task and learning that majority of his semen is abnormal and he might not even be able to help her so he goes to her trying to sleep with her to try and see if that will work. Their narrative together to me seems like the most intriguing part of the story so far.

In the novel 10:04 written by Ben Lerner there isn’t one specific time setting. In the very beginning we are placed in a setting of a pediatric office. We get the description of the room, there’s an aquatic scene to distract kids, there’s a chair for a kindergartener and then we have our narrator who is thirty-three who feels out of place. He is there for his heart disease for a diagnosis, but as we learn the diagnosis is usually discovered within someone’s childhood. The time of this setting shows how out of place he is as he feels this should’ve happened in the past. 

As he also worried about his future with his other life of being a father. He jumps into the future. The thoughts he has, and the concern of what role he will play for the child. Will he be a father figure?  A donor? Or nothing at all? As he’s in the room giving his semen, his mind starts to wander to a conversation between him and his child they may possibly have. The conversation talks about the process of “making his child”. His concern for the conversation and questions his child may have reflects the future he pictures. 

Ben Lerner is able to bounce from the past to the present and into the future. I find it ironic his favorite movie Back to the future comes up quite often. I myself have never watched Back to the Future but I heard it’s a classic. I oddly like the bouncing around of the time in his mind because it feels realistic. As someone who is an over thinker,  I worry about what I did in the past and how it will catch up with me in the present. I also worry about my decisions now and how it’ll affect my future. Time is precious, it is the one thing you can’t do over or change. It is also possibly my worst enemy.

In the initial scene of Ben Lerner’s “10:04,” readers are immediately transported into the vibrant atmosphere of a bustling restaurant, serving as a metaphor for the novel’s exploration of contemporary urban life. Lerner  works to call the readers attention to the sensory details within the restaurant, capturing everything from ambient noise to the specifics of the dishes being served. This dynamic New York City establishment becomes a backdrop against which characters and their interactions unfold. The meticulous attention to detail not only establishes a strong sense of place but also provides a lens through which the novel may delve into the intricacies of human connection within a bustling community. I’ve learned in other classes that often it is the chaos and sheer size of the population here in nyc, that encourages people to adopt a blase attitude in which they disassociate almost from the constant amount of people and information, in order to pick and choose who and what receives your actual attention.

The restaurant scene is more than just a static setting; it’s a dynamic space where social interactions and cultural observations converge. Lerner introduces the protagonist’s wordy observational skills, a recurring motif throughout the beginning of the novel. Conversations among patrons intertwine with the narrative, offering glimpses into the complexities of urban relationships and the shared experiences of the characters. By immersing readers in this richly detailed scene, Lerner sets the stage for a broader exploration of societal dynamics, personal relationships, and the interplay between individual experiences and collective identity. Therefore, the restaurant serves as a metaphor, that may be encapsulating one of the novel’s overarching themes and establishing the tone for the intricate story of “10:04.”