**Special thank you to Graydon House for gifting me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.**
The setting of "Followers" alternates between New York, New York, in the year of 2051, as well as 36 years prior.
In the earlier years, readers meet Orla Cadden, an aspiring author who is determined to make a name for herself in the literary world someday. It is through a friendship of sorts with her roommate, Floss, that Orla is suddenly thrust into the public eye, for better or for worse. The lines of ethics are definitely blurred with these two women in their quest to be famous.
Fast-forward to NY in 2051, and the storyline follows that of Marlow. Marlow is a government-appointed celebrity, which means every breath she takes is filmed for the public’s viewing pleasure. Quite unlike Orla and Floss, Marlow would do anything to hide away or be free for just a moment; however, that’s not something her sponsors would ever allow -- she’s just too famous and important to them, and they essentially own her.
I found that the alternating settings took just a bit to get used to, but midway through the book I could see that the two time periods were slowly starting to weave toward one another in a way that made sense to me. Although the problem Marlow faced seemed so far-fetched, as I read about Orla and Floss and the lengths they would go to be famous, suddenly government-appointed celebrities didn’t seem so unrealistic after all.
This was one of the most intriguing books I’ve read in quite some time. The timely storyline definitely gives readers something to think about, in terms of how freely our society shares, follows, and divulges private information without pausing to think about what the repercussions might be.
I would recommend this book to adults and young adults alike, and although the book is classified as science-fiction, I would note that it is very light on the sci-fi, in my opinion.
The setting of "Followers" alternates between New York, New York, in the year of 2051, as well as 36 years prior.
In the earlier years, readers meet Orla Cadden, an aspiring author who is determined to make a name for herself in the literary world someday. It is through a friendship of sorts with her roommate, Floss, that Orla is suddenly thrust into the public eye, for better or for worse. The lines of ethics are definitely blurred with these two women in their quest to be famous.
Fast-forward to NY in 2051, and the storyline follows that of Marlow. Marlow is a government-appointed celebrity, which means every breath she takes is filmed for the public’s viewing pleasure. Quite unlike Orla and Floss, Marlow would do anything to hide away or be free for just a moment; however, that’s not something her sponsors would ever allow -- she’s just too famous and important to them, and they essentially own her.
I found that the alternating settings took just a bit to get used to, but midway through the book I could see that the two time periods were slowly starting to weave toward one another in a way that made sense to me. Although the problem Marlow faced seemed so far-fetched, as I read about Orla and Floss and the lengths they would go to be famous, suddenly government-appointed celebrities didn’t seem so unrealistic after all.
This was one of the most intriguing books I’ve read in quite some time. The timely storyline definitely gives readers something to think about, in terms of how freely our society shares, follows, and divulges private information without pausing to think about what the repercussions might be.
I would recommend this book to adults and young adults alike, and although the book is classified as science-fiction, I would note that it is very light on the sci-fi, in my opinion.