Review of 'Hope: A History of the Future'

Engaging, playful, and thought-provoking, Hope is a seven-generation-spanning vision of the future as it could be—based on scientific projections, as well as historical and legal precedence—that will leave readers grappling with questions of destiny, responsibility, and the possibility for hope in a future world.

Review

Hope: A History of the Future enchants the Denzell family with tales of the future that give both a bleak outlook and a hopeful one.

Rocky Start

Hope: A History of the Future follows members of the Denzell future as they each stumble across a book that has fallen into their lives from thin air. While reading, they uncover the story of three individuals through different times in their lives and how they connect.

The premise as a whole is fascinating. Seemingly out of nowhere, this book lands out of space and time in the home of the Denzell family. Each family member stumbles across the text and randomly begins reading the story at different intervals until they come together to discuss the book and its contents.

As a whole, I did enjoy the novel, but early on, I did not think I would. The Denzell matriarch Joyce is the first voice to stumble across the strange book. However, her voice and narrative were tedious at best. The story she was reading was far more interesting, but it broke up the novel’s pace whenever her internal narrative would enter. Her thoughts were not even interesting. She struggles with smoking and spends much time looking for a cigarette or even thinking about dinner.

Past the Hurdle

It is memorable because it was annoying. Considering the gravity of what she was reading, she thinks of smoking and dinner instead of trying to wrap her head around the context. Now there are one or two early comments about the strange text, where she questions the validity of it and worries about how it will affect her young children, but after that, it is mindless.

However, that is the biggest hurdle as Kellner soon begins to focus more on the futuristic narrative than the Denzell family.

Those stories captivated the reader, especially considering that the story is built “based on scientific projections, as well as historical and legal precedence.” The stories of Gabe, Mia, and Ruth are one of survival and, at times, reminiscent of David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas. But, their stories are more than survival; they are about hope. The hope for the future is that resilience and perseverance can help even when the future looks bleak. And these characters suffered; their lives were not easy. But through it, they learned to survive and how to better protect their new future and world.

Final Thoughts

Hope: A History of the Future was an excellent, thoughtful novel. It imagines a future one could only dream and hope for but, far from being far-fetched, is as real as the book itself.

• Writing Quality : 7/10
• Character Development : 7/10
• "Couldn't Put It Down"-ness : 8/10
• Intellectual Depth: 9/10
• Originality: 10/10
• Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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About the Author

Cynthia Bujnicki graduated from Emerson College with a BA in Writing, Literature and Publishing. She has always loved to read since she was a child. A contributing writer for YA Fantasy Addicts, she is also the Editor-in-Chief for Cyn's Workshop. She lives in sunny South Florida with her husband, son and daughter and their two cats, Mr. J the Kitten and Nyx.