Review - The Future for Curious People

Paperback: 317 pages
Publisher: Pan Books
Publication date: 02 Sept 2014
ISBN: 978-1444770360

What if you could know your romantic future? What if an envisionist could enter the name of your prospective mate into a computer that would show you a film of your future life together?

In The Future for Curious People, a young librarian named Evelyn becomes obsessed with this new technology: she can’t stop visiting Dr. Chin’s office because she needs to know that she’ll meet someone and be happy one day. Godfrey, another client, ends up at the envisionist’s office only because his fiancée insisted they know their fate before taking the plunge. But when Godfrey meets Evelyn in the waiting room, true love may be right in front of them, but they are too preoccupied—and too burdened by their pasts—to recognize it.

I just lapped this story up! I could barely put it down and read it cover to cover in almost one sitting. It's just so good and exactly the sort of thing I love. I was just sucked in from page one.

It's a romance but with a bit of a twist - For anyone who wants to see their romantic future with a potential partner there is a service available called 'envisioning'. With the help of Dr Chin and his coin operated envisioning machine, Godfrey Burkes initially sets out to see his future with his potential fiance but a chance meeting with a woman in the waiting room leads him to question his future with the woman he had hoped to marry. His other half is also visiting another envisionist's office hoping for some guidance in her romantic future as she has questions she'd like answered before she says 'Yes'.

Told in alternating point of view between Godfrey and Evelyn it's very entertaining and such a joy to see it all come together as the story plays out. All the characters were really fleshed out and the dialogue between them all is hilarious. I loved the main characters, Godfrey and Evelyn, but the secondary characters were every bit as wonderful. I just loved them all. They're quirky and likeable so much fun to read about. 

This would make a fantastic rom-com movie. The characters and dialogue are just begging to be put on the screen and I'll keep my fingers crossed that someone sees the potential for that because I'd love to see it. 

From start to almost finish I had this pegged as a five star read but I was a bit disappointed by the ending. Everything else was given proper page-time to play out and was so well constructed but the ending felt a bit rushed. It wasn't a satisfying conclusion given how wonderful the rest of the story was.

I think this is the first romance I've ever read which was written by a male author but hopefully it wont' be the last. This author can definitely write.