Book Review: "The Future of Us"
Published on Monday, February 13, 2012 - 1:31pm
The Future of Us is an interesting book. It is a strange combination of Gen-X nostalgia and teenage broken-heartedness. Set in 1996, the premise is built on the idea of current actions influencing future events. These future events are discovered and subsequently influenced by an unexplained connection to future Facebook pages. Talking to that girl from gym class today can be the difference between a wife and three kids or a life of loneliness.
The main characters, Emma and Josh, awkwardly wind their way through exaggerated social situations, high school crushes and other familiar clichés only to find out that--well, you find out what they discover. Think about Jerry and Elaine, Ross and Rachel, Barney and Robin and the main characters from every other sitcom you have ever seen.
The book has its upsides. Older readers will enjoy the subtle, “90's kids” allusions. Younger people, (Generation-Z, maybe?), will relate to the universality of teenage parties, friend-zones and jealous envies that make up the majority of high school life.
In all, Asher and Mackler have written an entertaining book that could have easily been titledThe Butterfly Effect for Teens.