I thought I’d read everything written by Robert Sawyer, but somehow missed this excellent story.

AI summary:

Rollback is a 2007 science fiction novel by Canadian author Robert J. Sawyer that explores the social and ethical consequences of extreme life extension alongside a first-contact scenario.

The story follows an elderly couple who undergo a rejuvenation procedure, only for it to succeed for one and fail for the other, creating a massive age gap between them. 

Plot Summary

Set in the mid-21st century, the narrative centers on Dr. Sarah Halifax, an astronomer who gained fame decades earlier for decoding the first message from an alien civilization at Sigma Draconis.

When a second, encrypted message arrives 38 years later, a billionaire industrialist offers to fund a “rollback“—a staggeringly expensive medical treatment that reverts a person’s body to age 25—so Sarah can live long enough to decode it.

Sarah agrees only on the condition that her husband of sixty years, Don Halifax, also receives the treatment. The resulting conflict drives the novel: 

• The Rejuvenation Gap: The procedure is a success for Don but fails for Sarah, leaving her in her late 80s while her husband physically returns to his youth.
• Interpersonal Struggles: Don must navigate his newfound vitality and the complexities of being physically younger than his own children, all while remaining devoted to his aging wife.
• The Alien Message: Parallel to the domestic drama, Sarah works to decipher the new transmission, which involves complex moral and ethical questions posed by the extraterrestrials. 

Key Themes and Accolades

• Philosophical Science Fiction: Sawyer explores “intimately human” dilemmas, such as fidelity, mortality, and the societal impact of radical technology.
• Ethics and Evolution: The story examines whether morality changes over generations or across different species.
• Awards: The novel was nominated for the Hugo Award and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award in 2008.