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A review by bmg20
The Future for Curious People by Gregory Sherl
3.0
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
“Most people choose their futures by accident. They don’t even know they’re making choices. They don’t even know that there are forks in the road – much less forks within forks. The future no longer has to be messy. It can be tested out. It can be known.”
In an alternate yet still contemporary Baltimore, there is a flourishing market of Envisionists: doctors that are trained to show people a small glimpse of their future. A cup of pills, a virtual reality helmet and a name of a person gives you the ability to what your future would look like in a relationship with that given person. And with a discount package (Five visits for the price of three!) you can catch a glimpse of multiple futures with multiple different individuals. The Future for Curious People centers around two individuals: Evelyn and Godfrey.
Evenlyn Shriner is a librarian who is most likely addicted to envisioning (she’s had five sessions in the past two weeks). She’s just broken up with her boyfriend of almost two years after their envisioning session showed them singing Happy Birthday (in Spanish, no less) to a chihuahua and arguing about cheese. Godfrey Burkes works a deadend job at a place called The Department of Unclaimed Goods and has just proposed to his overbearing girlfriend. Her stipulation before saying yes is for them both to go to an envisionist, just to make sure they’re right for each other. At Dr. Chin, the envisionist who’s office smells like Chinese takeout and incense is where Evelyn and Godfrey meet. The two decide to envision each other on a whim and both glimpse a future close to perfection. The end result is predictable even without an envisionist but the between pages are still a delight.
This story is chock-full of witty dialogue and oh so clever characters but comes off occasionally audacious when it tries to also incorporate more serious topics. For the most part though, it still worked. The Future for Curious People is at heart nothing but a quirky romance but will have more of an affect on readers that can’t help but wonder about the present, if it’s always going to be this way and how differently the future could be. It certainly brings to light an idea to ponder: If you could have a glimpse of your future on the current path you’re on, would you want to see it?
I received this book free from Library Thing in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
“Most people choose their futures by accident. They don’t even know they’re making choices. They don’t even know that there are forks in the road – much less forks within forks. The future no longer has to be messy. It can be tested out. It can be known.”
In an alternate yet still contemporary Baltimore, there is a flourishing market of Envisionists: doctors that are trained to show people a small glimpse of their future. A cup of pills, a virtual reality helmet and a name of a person gives you the ability to what your future would look like in a relationship with that given person. And with a discount package (Five visits for the price of three!) you can catch a glimpse of multiple futures with multiple different individuals. The Future for Curious People centers around two individuals: Evelyn and Godfrey.
Evenlyn Shriner is a librarian who is most likely addicted to envisioning (she’s had five sessions in the past two weeks). She’s just broken up with her boyfriend of almost two years after their envisioning session showed them singing Happy Birthday (in Spanish, no less) to a chihuahua and arguing about cheese. Godfrey Burkes works a deadend job at a place called The Department of Unclaimed Goods and has just proposed to his overbearing girlfriend. Her stipulation before saying yes is for them both to go to an envisionist, just to make sure they’re right for each other. At Dr. Chin, the envisionist who’s office smells like Chinese takeout and incense is where Evelyn and Godfrey meet. The two decide to envision each other on a whim and both glimpse a future close to perfection. The end result is predictable even without an envisionist but the between pages are still a delight.
This story is chock-full of witty dialogue and oh so clever characters but comes off occasionally audacious when it tries to also incorporate more serious topics. For the most part though, it still worked. The Future for Curious People is at heart nothing but a quirky romance but will have more of an affect on readers that can’t help but wonder about the present, if it’s always going to be this way and how differently the future could be. It certainly brings to light an idea to ponder: If you could have a glimpse of your future on the current path you’re on, would you want to see it?
I received this book free from Library Thing in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.