An electrifying story of two ambitious friends, the dark choices they make and the profound moment that changes the meaning of privacy forever…
Followers traces the paths of 3 women as they wind through time toward each other, and toward a cataclysmic event that sends America into lasting upheaval. At turns wry and tender, bleak and hopeful, this darkly funny story reminds us that even if we obsess over famous people we’ll never meet, what we really crave is genuine human connection.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'm not sure where to start with this one. I liked this book very much although it did throw some hurdles my way. I initially passed this book over twice when requesting titles from NetGalley. The cover art didn't entice me; after just one glance, I had already decided that the book was women's literature -- not my favorite. The cover's saving grace, and what drew me in, was the Austin Powers - fembot flair I felt pulsing from it. Once I waded through the pink and purple and read the description, I knew that I had to read this book. Much to my surprise, it was an okay balance of women's literature meets science fiction (light).
There were moments where I felt I had to "chew" through certain passages. Some sections were very verbose, consistent with classic chick-lit. As I became rooted in the story, it was very easy to get over the random bits of wordiness. The details served to build a rich environment and didn't slow down the storyline. The book hosts a group of well-developed characters that you love and love to hate - not mutually exclusive. We encounter three very different women (Orla, Floss, and Marlow) who struggle very publicly with some intensely intimate issues during a technological catastrophe/breakdown/takeover. Orla and Marlow act as narrators for the story, each retelling their experiences set in drastically different times. Incidentally, Ms. Angelo does a great job at separating and defining each timeline; happily, there were no continuity mishaps.