We’re Triple C: a dynamic trio of juniors (Kavya, Kailyn, and Anoushka), bonded by both a shared passion for literature and the coincidental charm of all having last names starting with the letter C. Our book review promises a diverse and engaging exploration of exciting books, and we invite fellow book lovers to join us on our literary journey!
The idea of time travel has fascinated people for decades, with popular movies and novels created to fantasize about this concept. Even in everyday life, people are time-traveling in their minds with constant thoughts unraveling about tomorrow and yesterday but never about today. Rarely are thoughts focused solely on the moment. It is always looking to the next hour, the next day, or on what ifs and what could’ve been while sleeplessly tossing in bed.
But what if one day you woke up to find yourself five years in the future? Only for an hour, you get to take a glimpse into the future you have been building towards. In Rebecca Serle’s novel, In Five Years, Dannie Kohan has meticulously planned aspects of her everyday life, working towards a perfect future. She has the perfect fiancé, the perfect job opportunity, and the perfect best friend. However, after falling asleep on the night of her engagement, she wakes to find herself in a new apartment, with a different engagement ring placed on her finger, and with a stranger sleeping in the place of her fiancé. Disoriented and afraid, Dannie hears the TV repeat the date of December 15, 2025, exactly five years in the future.
For an hour, Dannie gets to learn about her future by talking to the strange man, Aaron, who shares her apartment, experiencing the idea of an exciting love with an unpredictable life. However, after the hour flies away, Dannie wakes back up to her present life. Back to the predictable and orderly life that she leads. Back to the present with remnants of that night five years in her future invading her memories. From here, the story unravels over the course of the next five years of Danny’s life, and pieces begin to click into how she met Aaron and ended up in that apartment.
This is a book I hold close to my heart as it illustrates the growth of a person and how the future is never certain. People are always changing, and to have a book focused on the character growth of one person and how her life continuously evolves as she grows older was touching to see. Life never stops throwing curveballs as new people and certain events shake up everything that we have ever known; however, there are certain things that we can always be certain about, and it is those very things that we must hold on tight to.
Serle writes this story beautifully, portraying the love that one has for their friends, for their significant other, and for oneself. I love how she classifies this book as “an unforgettable love story, but…not the one you’re expecting” (Serle). I think it perfectly encapsulates what this book is about, with characters that walk off each page. Serle crafted each character to be written in a real way, being relatable while grappling with frustrating problems that are reflected in our own lives. I love books with memorable plots and characters, and In Five Years is one of those books that will always stay with you.
Thus, I would recommend this book to students as it is a special read. I think the journey of getting to that moment five years into Dannie’s future will make this book memorable to all readers.
Stay tuned for next week! – Kailyn
