kˈæθi wʌz bˈɔːɹn ɪn ˈeɪpɹəl nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi fˈaɪv, mˈiːnɪŋ ðɪ ᵻvˈɛnts ɪnðə bˈʊk əkˈɜː bᵻtwˌiːn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti sˈɛvən tˈuː θˈaʊzənd wˈʌn, wˌɪtʃ wʌz θˈɜːtiːn jˈɪɹz ˌɪntʊ ðə fjˈuːtʃɚɹ æt ðə tˈaɪm ðə bˈʊk wʌz ɚɹˈɪdʒɪnəli pˈʌblɪʃt ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi fˈoːɹ.
Cathy was born in April 1945, meaning the events in the book occur between 1997–2001, which was thirteen years into the future at the time the book was originally published in 1984.