Tinkers

Much of Tinkers follows the life of George Washington Crosby, a retired math teacher who enjoys repairing clocks. He fills his house with clocks and converts his basement into a workshop where he has many clocks in varying stages of disrepair. The novel also features excerpts from an 18th-century clock repair manual titled The Reasonable Horologist; the manual and its contents are fictional, and the excerpts are used to emphasize the novel’s themes and characters’ thoughts. The Reasonable Horologist provides commentary on the qualities of a person who works with clocks and the mystifying nature of the world of timekeeping. According to the National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors, “Horology is the science of measuring time and the art of making timepieces” (“The Horology Index.” National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors, Inc.). It is the specific name for the kind of tinkering George does. Throughout the novel, The Reasonable Horologist gives examples of the diverse ways in which time is measured, such as one clock that measures time with water. This type of work requires great precision, and George revels in it. In this novel, several characters are keenly aware of Death, Mortality, and the Passage of Time, and George’s interest in horology provides an apt backdrop of ticking clocks.