The Future For Curious People by Gregory Sherl imagines a world where people can visit envisionists to get a peek at their romantic futures.

...

But these characters can briefly look into the future, rather than stewing endlessly about feeling not-unhappy, and they can glimpse how their lives would turn out with different partners. Bart and Amy, Godfrey's smug-coupled friends, see their future selves happily sailing on a boat, and are reassured that they've made their right choice. But in most cases, the future scenes portray more of the not-unhappy feelings in the present-day relationship. Bickering about nothing, or living separately under the same roof, with realistic hopelessness.

Read my full review here. ( )

A light-hearted, amusing "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" for the OK Cupid age. The plot revolves around a new technology that allows "curious people" to look into their future with a partner. You can also choose anyone you've known in your life and test out your future with that person -- the same thing many people do idly on Facebook, scrolling through the newsfeed. I thought the book was very timely and a lot fun, with cute characters and a surprisingly moving depiction of true love that I appreciated. Recommended as a sweet, quick read that's a little bit thoughtful, too. ( )

Two mid-twenty somethings, living in a world where you can choose to view a snippet of your romantic future with a person of your choice, unknowingly lead themselves into a quagmire of love, heartbreak, and obsession. The premise of The Future for Curious People by Gregory Sherl asks the questions, if you could know your future with your significant other, would you take that risk? And if you did, how far would you go to find true love?

The novel, while incredibly creative, often feels a tad too ambitious. The chapters switch back and forth between two main characters, Evelyn and Godfrey. Both narrators are in serious and complicated relationships with other people, which carries much of the plot of the novel. While Evelyn and Godfrey live incredibly detailed and full lives, it is often challenging to see past the stereotypical “other man” and “other woman” aspects of their significant others, Adrian and Madge. The underdevelopment of these two characters makes it exceedingly difficult to understand the decisions that our main characters make.

The “envisioning” sessions are some of the most interesting sections of the novel. In this world, people pay professionals to allow them to view a mini-movie of their future with a specific person, usually their significant other at the time. There are predetermined time jumps (10, 15, 20 years, etc.), as well as intriguing restrictions, particularly the inability to see products, as this knowledge could be used to the viewer’s commercial advantage. Also, most sessions last less than a few minutes, so they really only show a brief moment of the future. While the author scatters many envisioning sessions throughout the novel, some confuse more than elaborate the plot. Evelyn, who becomes obsessed with her romantic future, spews out various names in her sessions, often too many for the reader to keep straight. Many times I found myself struggling to remember specific people that she referenced once or twice at the beginning of the book, which became frustrating.

While I was impressed by the ideas and themes throughout, the plot occasionally seemed all over the place. While our main characters do “meet” fairly early in the story, they remain virtual strangers until half-way through the novel. This plot choice confuses, as I feel the two characters’ relationship could never be realized fully. There simply was not enough time for them to grow into a believable one.

All in all, the author managed to emphasize core themes, but fell a bit short on the details that add heart to the story. While the plot did not always capture my attention, the book still had enjoyable parts. As singular characters, Evelyn and Godfrey were incredibly relatable and entertaining, and they both left me laughing out-loud several times. Unfortunately, for a book about love, the relationships were not strong enough to leave me yearning for more. ( )

You can go to an envisionist to see what your current relationship (or relationship to any person, really) will be in the future. Really only supposed to be used once or twice, some people become addicted to finding the perfect future. But when two people start appearing in all of each other's futures, it seems that they might be meant to be.

Cute, it made me wonder if that is a service I would partake in, but I don't think I ever would. Some things just need to be hoped for and worked at. ( )

This is a sweet and light romance set around the idea of "envisioning", which the book presents as a possible way to see the future. People can go see an envisionist like they see a doctor and request to see what their future looks like in 5,10, or 15 years. When this book opens, envisioning is seen as the cause of a relationship's dissolution for Evelyn Shriner and likewise Godfrey Burkes' potential fiancee puts a hold on their relationship until they visit an envisionist. It's fun to watch Evelyn and Godfrey work their way towards each other and I would definitely recommend this for someone looking for a light romantic novel. ( )