In Five Years
Where do you see yourself in five years?
1. IN FIVE YEARS by Rebecca Serle
SYNOPSIS
Where do you see yourself in five years?
When Type-A Manhattan lawyer Dannie Cohan is asked this question at the most important interview of her career, she has a meticulously crafted answer at the ready. Later, after nailing her interview and accepting her boyfriend’s marriage proposal, Dannie goes to sleep knowing she is right on track to achieve her five-year plan.
But when she wakes up, she’s suddenly in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, and beside a very different man. The television news is on in the background, and she can just make out the scrolling date. It’s the same night—December 15—but 2025, five years in the future.
After a very intense, shocking hour, Dannie wakes again, at the brink of midnight, back in 2020. She can’t shake what has happened. It certainly felt much more than merely a dream, but she isn’t the kind of person who believes in visions. That nonsense is only charming coming from free-spirited types, like her lifelong best friend, Bella. Determined to ignore the odd experience, she files it away in the back of her mind.
That is, until four-and-a-half years later, when by chance Dannie meets the very same man from her long-ago vision.
BOOK REVIEW
In Five Years was messy. It was quite intense, poignant, thought-provoking, and absolutely not what I was expecting from the start… The book touched upon the notion of prophetic dreams, but you shouldn’t label it as science fiction, and definitely not romance. The novel explored the very basic idea that life almost never goes according to plan, that random occurrences both outside of our comfort zone and control can completely change the course of our lives and teach things to either uplift or ruin us. The book was about self-discovery through making impossible choices and understanding the notion of love and devotion.
To be completely honest, I feel conflicted. The writing was amazing, but the plot development wasn’t my favourite. And the twist? I’m sorry but what was the point again? I do understand there’re things that oftentimes make it impossible to gather all the broken pieces of a grieving heart. However, the coping mechanism in this particular book was just not it. But that’s just my own humble opinion…
At the same time, In Five Years pressed me to reconsider my state of being a slave to own head. It made me agree that emotions are important, that feelings matter. The friendship between Bella and Dannie was heartbreakingly tender and sweet. The bond was so strong that it affected me deeply, in a very unfamiliar to me way.
As you already know, I don’t give out spoilers. But I’m going to say that there was no bad guy in the story. Yes, all the characters were full of flaws and unlikeable traits. And that’s precisely what made them real, relatable and redeemable in a sense. More often than not, I could understand why they acted the way they did and suffered as a result… I didn’t like the main characters but I appreciated their rawness.
Overall, In Five Years was an interesting read. I haven’t fully decided on my rating of the book, but you should definitely check it out just to see if you personally like it or not.
PS. Shoutout to the author for a delicious trip at the sightseeings of New York, including but not limited to Dumbo, Central Park, and all those amazing deli places every person must give a try!
