TUNNEL vision
It’s unexpected to find a love story filled with dramatic twists worthy of any thriller, but then, In Five Years is an unexpected sort of novel. As much about the power of friendship as it is romance, it’s poignant, clever and a little spooky.
New Yorker Dannie Kohan is one of those super-controlling and disciplined people. Life is going exactly as planned. She is a successful lawyer, poised to land a job with the firm she always dreamed of working for.
Her perfect boyfriend David is about to deliver the marriage proposal she’s been hoping for and everything is exactly right, just how Dannie likes it.
There isn’t room for surprises unless they involve her muchloved childhood friend, the arty and beautiful Bella – who is the person that’s always brought colour and vibrancy into her world.
Then one evening, after a few glasses of wine, Dannie comes round from a nap and finds herself in an alternate reality.
It’s five years in the future, she’s in a different apartment and with a stranger called Aaron, who appears to be her fiancé.
When Dannie wakes suddenly, she’s relieved to be back in 2020 with David and puts the odd experience down to a particularly vivid dream, even though it felt like something more.
The big twist comes when Dannie meets Aaron in real life. Not only does he actually exist, he is going to be difficult to avoid. Panicked, she becomes fixated on making sure her weird premonition doesn’t turn into a reality. But, as Dannie is about to discover, life is unpredictable and you can’t control everything.
I raced through this slim novel in a single sitting. The prose is pithy but that doesn’t make the story any less emotional and affecting. You may not like Dannie very much at the outset – she is smug and annoying – but as she learns a few harsh life lessons, she’ll grow on you.
This is a great Sunday morning read to touch your heart and keep you guessing.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN LIFE DOESN’T GO TO PLAN?