Setting: The Future of Us, Jay Asher&Carolyn Mackler

     I just finished reading Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler's The Future of Us. The first page sums it all up: "In 1996 less than hald of all American high school students had ever used the internet. Facebook would not be invented until several years in the future. Emma and Josh are about to log on to their futures" (no page #).
     It's 1996 in Lake Forest, Pennsylvania. Emma Nelson's father has sent her a desktop computer with Windows 95, and her neighbor, Josh Templeton, has brought her an America Online CD-ROM. Once she is logged in, she finds a separate tab labelled "Facebook"-- the catch is, she has no idea what it is, and it hasn't even been invented yet!
     The novel alternates between Josh and Emma's voice; each chapter is written from the point of view of one of them so you see both sides of the developing story. As the novel progresses, and they see their statuses and names on Facebook fluctuate and sometimes completely disappear from one day to the next, Josh and Emma realize that small, seemingly innocuous decisions they make in the present (today) can alter their future lives and careers fifteen years in the future. The question is: is that the way they want to live?
     I really liked how the authors used 1996 AND 2011 as settings-- and both time periods are important to the setting. Obviously, I know what Facebook is and how it works, which is key to understanding this novel. In 1996, these characters do not. Each day, sometimes several times a day, Emma logs into AOL and onto her future Facebook page. She sees her married names change, along with her career choices. It creates pressure and confusion for her as she tries to figure out exactly what is going on in her future based upon her cryptic status updates.
     I think the most important setting is in 1996 either in school or in Emma's room (where the computer is). Emma and Josh are living their lives in this time period-- they are only seeing glimpses of their future in 2011. They are coming to understand that the choices they make now can effect their future-- sometimes in huge ways, but sometimes in very, very small ways. Josh's chapter: "I return to Emma's computer and look again at the most important bit of information. Married to Sydney Templeton. I click where it says Photos. Emma and I need to leave for school soon, so rather than reading through dozens of short statements that hardly make sense, I want to see what my future looks like. The first square is labeled Our New Casa, 12 photos" (165-166). I really think the time period portion of setting really drives the novel rather than physical place.
     This was a great read. If you want to borrow it see me!