What is the importance of time and time pieces in the novel, Acqua Calda?

The sense of time passing adds a degree of pressure, or stakes, to Gerald's pursuit of connection with himself, with his art, and with Enzo. Throughout the narrative, references to time (including the savant-like awareness of the autistic Timothy of time's passing) and to timepieces (including Gerald's watch) evoke the passing of humanity's limited time, and especially Gerald's sense of limited time, made deeply acute by his near death experience.