The Foreseeable Future is the story of Audrey Nelson. Audrey has grown up in a family of academics. Her mom is a professor of political science. Her father is an English professor. Her brother is super smart. Even her younger sister seems to fit in this uber-intelligent family. But Audrey has always felt a little out of sync. Her grades have never been stellar, and she only got in to a prestigious private college because her parents teach there.
Audrey isn’t sure what she wants to do, but she isn’t sure how to tell everyone around her that either. She decides to take a job as a nursing assistant at the local retirement home and there finds that she enjoys caring for other people. And she’s good at it. When a friend suffers a heart attack on July 4th and Audrey performs CPR, she becomes somewhat of an internet celebrity. The momentary fame opens doors for her that she hadn’t previously thought possible. But is strains her relationship with her boyfriend who she can’t quite figure out how she obtained.
If you are looking for a fluffy summer read, this book should fit the bill. I found the book predictable and didn’t feel like it was a page-turner, but it wasn’t bad either. The language is straight forward. The characters are likable, but there doesn’t seem to be much depth to them. Audrey felt wishy-washy to me, and she couldn’t make up her mind about which direction she was going, but it worked with the storyline the author created.
I’d classify this novel in the romance genre given that the over-arching theme of the book seems to be less about Audrey’s choice of what her future is going to entail and more about what her future with Seth is going to entail. If you are looking for a strong, independent female role model character, I don’t think you will find it in her. Audrey lets many of her decisions be driven by what Seth will think, do, react, etc.
Overall a middle of the road read with some high points for bravery in saving a friend’s life and trying something new.
Review of an Advance Reading Copy
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Dial Books for Young Readers
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 7 religious exclamations 11 mild obscenities, 4 derogatory names, 11 scatological words, 8 anatomical terms, 2 f-word derivatives.
Violence/Gore: Recounting of boy falling from tree and fracturing arm; character has heart attack and collapses (scary).
Sex/Nudity: Reference to same sex kissing and relationships; 11 instances of kissing and hand-holding; discussion about having sex without graphic detail; 3-page scene of sex between teens with some explicit detail; sex without detail between teens; girl recounts running down hallway naked after sex; teens strip off clothing and fall asleep in bed together.
Mature Subject Matter:
Divorce, separation, infidelity, addictions, teen sex.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
Teens drink beer and various other alcohol; adult is alcoholic and drinks beer.
