Followers
Book Review - Followers by Megan Angelo
Followers by Megan Angelo is the first book I’ve read since my house fire on November 24th. That’s right, I hadn’t so much as picked up a book in over a month, which is highly uncharacteristic of me. My life got so consumed with meeting my basic needs (finding new clothing, looking for a place to live) that it seems I neglected all of the things that make me me. Even after things settled down and I was able to refocus on living life, it took me awhile to pick up a book. It seemed like something the old me would do and I didn’t feel like the old me at all. The pre-fire me was a different person and I hadn’t had time to get to know the the post-fire me. I should have trusted in the power of books, a power that all avid readers know. Once I started reading again, I found the old me coming back more and more.
Interestingly, Followers by Megan Angelo is SO unlike the books I usually read. The genre can best be described as a futuristic, sci-fi look at social media sharing. It follows two friends, Orla and Floss, as they rise to social media/reality tv fame until a hacker initiates a multi-pronged attack on the internet causing mass chaos called The Spill. The book jumps back and forth between these two friends in the year 2016 and a closed California village in the year 2051 that is reminiscent of The Truman Show.
Perhaps it is because this is the first book I’ve read in awhile, perhaps it is because it is so unlike the books I usually choose, but whatever the reason, I found myself chatting with my husband about this book on a regular basis. I was fascinated by the social reaction to The Spill, how society regrouped and changed after the chaos caused by the hack. I loved thinking about what our world might look like in 35 years, and reflecting on my own use of social media. I think this book would make for a great book club discussion, each person talking about which character they related to, who in the real world Orla and Floss remind them of, whether they thought any of the events are likely. If you’re looking for something a little different than what I normally write about, pick up a copy of Followers by Megan Angelo.
