Seventeen –year old Prenna immigrated to the metro New York
area when she was twelve, but she didn’t come from another country. She came
from the future, a bleak future where the earth has been decimated by plagues.
She and the other members of her inclusive community all traveled back through
time to our present in order to survive and start fresh. Although they live
among normal contemporary citizens, Prenna’s people are governed by a strict
set of rules to avoid the classic dangers of time travel – making harmful
changes to the past or letting anyone in the present know what happens in the
future. They must not tell anyone where (when) they are really from or
interfere in any way with the normal course of history. But the rule Prenna is
struggling with the most is to never get close to anyone or be intimate with
anyone in any way. It’s hard to go through high school without any close
friends.
Prenna has always tried to follow the rules, but things
begin to change as she gets to know Ethan, a boy in her class. As Ethan tries
to get close to her and get to know her better, Prenna struggles to remain
aloof and not give anything away, but Ethan already knows more than Prenna
realizes. I don’t want to say much more about the plot because there are a lot
of surprises and suspense in this novel.
I was pulled in by this unique story immediately and enjoyed
listening to the audio production. I love any novel that has to do with time
travel, and this one was especially engaging. The scary future that Prenna
comes from was quite believable to me. The plagues that killed so many people
came from mosquito-carried diseases that increased exponentially as the climate
changed and became more hot and wet. Coming from a family who has battled Lyme
disease for many years, it wasn’t hard for me to believe that insect-borne
diseases could be humans’ downfall!
While the plot is unique and compelling, Brashares also
provides characters with depth and realism. I liked both Prenna and Ethan right
away and cared about what happened to them. I think teens will especially like
the thread of romance throughout the book, as the two get closer and get to
know each other better. However, this novel is also full of action and
suspense, as Prenna and Ethan uncover secrets and attempt nothing less than
saving the world. It’s fast-paced but also thought-provoking and entirely
entertaining from beginning to end.
Listen to a sample:
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