“Changing things in the present so as to have a better future is a trope that’s been around for a long time, popping up both in literature and in film. It’s been used in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” and all the way to the “Back to the Future” movies. Anyone who’s read enough books and seen enough movies can accurately predict the twists and turns such a story takes.
The authors Asher and Mackler were both probably aware of these conventions because the book doesn’t exactly bring anything new to the table when it comes to the concept of time travel. The only thing new about this most recent interpretation is how it utilizes Facebook as its method of “time travel”.
Aside from being a tad predictable, Asher and Mackler also fail to utilize Facebook to its fullest effect. Being the only thing in the story that is “new”, one would have expected it be used much more inventively, but all it does is act as a glorified crystal ball. The novelty of it eventually wears off as the reader progresses through the story.
Aside from that, the writing isn’t as snappy or as compelling as the previous works by Asher and Mackler. This may come as a slight disappointment to fans of the pair, who are behind such bestselling and controversial works such as “Thirteen Reasons Why” and “The Earth, my Butt, And Other Big Round Things”.
But whatever “The Future of Us” lacks in inventiveness and originality, it makes up for with charm and a heavy dose of 90s nostalgia, sure to hook any reader within a certain age range. For some of us, the age of dial-up connections, nine planets in the solar system, and cassette tapes wasn’t so long ago, and reading about the characters’ curiosity about the state of Pluto is sure to elicit a laugh.
Asher and Mackler also attempt to tackle the complicated relationship that we now have with Facebook and it’s omnipresence in our lives. While the pair aims a few pointed jabs at the Facebook generation – Emma and Josh wonder why people in the future are so obsessed about “lame vacation photos and trivial things” – they also acknowledge how dependent we have become on the site. Even Emma and Josh, despite their initial misgivings, find themselves hooked on Facebook.
Emma and Josh are also greatly written characters, bound to easily win the sympathies of any teenage readers. The dynamic between Emma and Josh is also entertaining, at times hilarious and frustrating, and always interesting enough to make readers want to turn the pages and find out what happens next.
While “The Future of Us” isn’t going to be the Facebook novel, it is entertaining enough for readers to take a chance on. And if you’re a twentysomething looking for bite-sized bits of 90s nostalgia, then “The Future of Us” is as good a choice as any.”
