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A review by svreads
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
3.0
This was the best apocalyptic, end-of-the-world type novel I have ever read. That is in part due to the fact that I typically hate apocalyptic, end-of-the-world type novels and partly because most of them seem more intent on exploring the possibility of human zombies overtaking the world than exploring the possibility of the downfall of society.
The best thing about this book is the writing. Completely unpretentious, straight to the point writing that explores the depth of human nature not in just a post-apocalyptic sense, but in a general sense. The book follows half a dozen or so people, some of whom survive and some of whom don't survive, the swine flu pandemic that leads to the death of 99 percent of the population of the world. Throughout the story, the narratives of these people become intertwined in a magical way that leaves the reader wondering just how much impact one person's life can really have.
Throughout the book, I kept comparing it to Cormac McCarthy's The Road, which I highly recommend. The thing I loved about The Road was that McCarthy blatantly described the violence and chaos that would ensue if the end of the world did come during our time. St. John Mandel, however, took a more delicate approach to the topic, insinuating rather than describing violent scenes, which I felt contributed to the story overall, since the focus seemed to be more about how this particular group of people survived than how the world would undoubtedly become in such an instance.
For the faint of heart, you should know that the author does a beautiful, yet heartbreaking job of pointing out those details of an apocalyptic world that might have gone unnoticed by any other author by my count. For example, the idea of a world where a giant truck picks up your trash by your door, where you can walk into a room and flip a switch and have automatic light, where air comes from vents whenever and wherever you want it to, where there are beautiful dogs who have not become extinct in a world where one has to be a rabid animal or a rabid human-like animal to survive. These are the things that will stay with me about this book. The things I take for granted that I really should stop taking for granted. The fact that I can get into a moving machine that requires absolutely no calorie-burning on my part and drive less than two miles to a giant store where I can buy just about any kind of food I want, whether it's grown locally or 3,000 miles away. The fact that as a woman I don't have to live in a place where I am constantly on guard in order to protect myself. And let's not forget that there are places in the world today, sans apocalypse, where people do not have this luxury.
I highly recommend this novel to anyone not looking for a light, fluffy, inspirational read, or to anyone who wants to be reminded of the beauty and chaos that is human nature and of course of the wonderful, no magical, opportunities, that first-world living has afforded us. I am looking forward to reading the author's other works.
The best thing about this book is the writing. Completely unpretentious, straight to the point writing that explores the depth of human nature not in just a post-apocalyptic sense, but in a general sense. The book follows half a dozen or so people, some of whom survive and some of whom don't survive, the swine flu pandemic that leads to the death of 99 percent of the population of the world. Throughout the story, the narratives of these people become intertwined in a magical way that leaves the reader wondering just how much impact one person's life can really have.
Throughout the book, I kept comparing it to Cormac McCarthy's The Road, which I highly recommend. The thing I loved about The Road was that McCarthy blatantly described the violence and chaos that would ensue if the end of the world did come during our time. St. John Mandel, however, took a more delicate approach to the topic, insinuating rather than describing violent scenes, which I felt contributed to the story overall, since the focus seemed to be more about how this particular group of people survived than how the world would undoubtedly become in such an instance.
For the faint of heart, you should know that the author does a beautiful, yet heartbreaking job of pointing out those details of an apocalyptic world that might have gone unnoticed by any other author by my count. For example, the idea of a world where a giant truck picks up your trash by your door, where you can walk into a room and flip a switch and have automatic light, where air comes from vents whenever and wherever you want it to, where there are beautiful dogs who have not become extinct in a world where one has to be a rabid animal or a rabid human-like animal to survive. These are the things that will stay with me about this book. The things I take for granted that I really should stop taking for granted. The fact that I can get into a moving machine that requires absolutely no calorie-burning on my part and drive less than two miles to a giant store where I can buy just about any kind of food I want, whether it's grown locally or 3,000 miles away. The fact that as a woman I don't have to live in a place where I am constantly on guard in order to protect myself. And let's not forget that there are places in the world today, sans apocalypse, where people do not have this luxury.
I highly recommend this novel to anyone not looking for a light, fluffy, inspirational read, or to anyone who wants to be reminded of the beauty and chaos that is human nature and of course of the wonderful, no magical, opportunities, that first-world living has afforded us. I am looking forward to reading the author's other works.