Followers

Followers begins with two epigraphs: a quote from Friedrich Nietzsche, and another from Kylie Jenner. Which, obviously. The dystopian-ish novel Followers is set in two timelines: New York in 2015, and in 2051 in a California community where people live their entire lives on camera for followers. In between, something called the “Spill” has happened, causing Internet and social media as we know it to collapse.

The 2015 storyline follows a woman named Orla who works for a site called “Lady-ish,” who teams up with an influencer wannabe Floss to help get her famous. The 2051 storyline follows Marlow, a woman who lives her every moment on camera. I won’t spoil any more, because you should really just read the story for yourself.  I found the Orla timeline much more compelling — perhaps because what she was living through was much more real, and understandable — but the way Megan Angelo imagined what our future is going to look like was eerie and haunting.

I liked this line from the review in Slate: “Yes, there’s an element of dystopian science fiction to Followers, but if you expect the novel to detail how exactly the free-range internet collapsed, who caused the Spill, and what the broader social consequences of the event were, you’ll be disappointed. Instead, Angelo stays focused on how communications technology affects young women and their most intimate relationships. “

Followers is a fascinating dive into our influencer-obsessed culture.

Rating: ★★★★