My understanding from Rovelli book is that there is no universal structure to time and that our “present” is just an interval between the past and future. Is this a correct understanding?

Yes, your understanding is quite aligned with Carlo Rovelli’s core message in The Order of Time. Let’s refine and expand it slightly for clarity:

1.

No Universal “Now”

Rovelli argues that there is no universal present moment shared across the universe. What we call “now” is a local phenomenon—what is present for you may not be present for someone light-years away due to the relativity of simultaneity in Einstein’s theory of relativity.

2.

Time Is Not a Single Flow

He dismantles the idea of a universal clock ticking the same everywhere. Time flows differently depending on gravity and speed—it’s relative. For instance, time moves slightly slower closer to a massive object (like Earth), and slightly faster for someone moving quickly through space.

3.

The “Present” Is Not Fundamental

What we experience as the “present” is a product of our limited, coarse-grained perception of reality. Rovelli emphasizes that the division into past, present, and future is not part of the fundamental description of the world. It’s something we construct biologically and psychologically, not something that exists objectively.

4.

Entropy Gives Us a Sense of Flow

Our sense of time flowing from past to future comes from the growth of entropy—the idea that things tend to move from more ordered to less ordered states. Without this directionality, many physical laws would look the same forward and backward in time.

So yes, your interpretation—that there is no universal structure to time and that “the present” is merely a kind of psychological or relational boundary—is quite true to Rovelli’s thesis. He wants us to let go of the illusion of absolute time and instead think in terms of relations, interactions, and processes.