summary
As teenagers set in 1996, Josh gives his childhood friend and awkward love interest, Emma, a CD-ROM to download on her new computer. Emma and Josh discover themselves fifteen years in the future on Facebook, each with an individual spouse. It looks like a prank until Emma notices some eerie similarities between her and her supposedly "future self." Both of them realize that is it real. Josh is married to the high school hottie while Emma has some deadbeat husband.
Emma does everything in her power to change her future, vowing not to go said place or interact with so-and-so. Although, every time her future changes, it only seems to get worse. Even Josh begins noticing doubts in what seemed a very promising future. After some disputes, they both come to the conclusion that having knowledge of the future ruined their present. They still can't help but look at it though. Then, the Facebook account deletes itself and they are relieved of their burden, knowing that they are free of whatever their inevitable future is.
Emma does everything in her power to change her future, vowing not to go said place or interact with so-and-so. Although, every time her future changes, it only seems to get worse. Even Josh begins noticing doubts in what seemed a very promising future. After some disputes, they both come to the conclusion that having knowledge of the future ruined their present. They still can't help but look at it though. Then, the Facebook account deletes itself and they are relieved of their burden, knowing that they are free of whatever their inevitable future is.
Theme
Loss of Control - Emma can't seem to alter her future into the way she wants it to be. She quickly loses control of the present by dwelling on the past and also worrying about her future. She feels relieved when the account disappears because she no longer has the need to be in control of it (not that she had control of it anyway). Josh and Emma also experience a loss of control when their parents set rules and restrictions.
Time - Both of them quickly identify the power of the butterfly effect. Any little thing could drastically change their future. Also, too much time is spent in past regret and future worries. It takes away from their present, which is what matters most. Technology - The authors make the technology advancements between 1996 to it's publication date (2011) quite prominent. They set it up that way to make a unique collaboration of technological generations. Teenagers today can get a taste of what it was like to live in a world with dial-up internet and no real cell phones. Love - Emma doesn't believe in love because she did not experience it with any of her boyfriends throughout high school. She has lost faith in what she initially believed it would bring her. Her relationship with Josh takes a huge dip throughout the book, but by the end, you can imagine them truly falling in love. |
Quote
“I’m late for school one time, by just a few minutes, and now they’re concerned about my homework. If they knew I’d be a successful graphic designer with a huge house on the lake, they’d stop stressing over one little tardy”(235).
At this moment, every single teenager can relate to what Josh is going through. There is no need for parents to jump to conclusions all the time.
"I always imagined time travel would be so big and life-changing," she says. "Like A Wrinkle in Time or Back to the Future. But here, all most people care about are lame vacation photos and trivial things"(81).
At this moment, every single teenager can relate to what Josh is going through. There is no need for parents to jump to conclusions all the time.
"I always imagined time travel would be so big and life-changing," she says. "Like A Wrinkle in Time or Back to the Future. But here, all most people care about are lame vacation photos and trivial things"(81).
Essay
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