“The Futures” by Anna Pitoniak

I was married to one man for 18 years, and now have been married to another man for not yet two years. I have to say that I like being married. I know that is not very modern, but I like being part of a couple. But when I close my eyes I can remember 1983, like yesterday, what it was like to be a single woman, working in New York City for a best-selling magazine, living in a six-story walk up, and dating. It is an exciting time to look back on from the vantage point of being married, and that is what “The Futures” by Anna Pitoniak is all about: new grownup love. The novel follows Evan and Julia in 2008, the year after they have graduated together from Yale. He is from a small town in Canada, while she is an East Coast young woman from a rich family. He gets a job at a hedge fund, while she starts a new career at a non-profit foundation. They move in together, start their new jobs and, while trying to grow closer, they grow farther apart. Can you see it? He’s poor becoming rich, she’s rich becoming poor. The novel is written in a “he said/she said” style in which Evan and Julia each tell their versions of the same story. Rather than being redundant, this technique is quite illuminating. You end up liking the couple together, as well as apart. It made me wonder how many of my friends who married right after college either stayed together or broke up. Is there a science to a successful relationship, or is it just luck? I’m not sure but I love books that analyze relationships. This is a terrific book by a new author who I hope to read more of. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.