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A review by naomi_hyde
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Re-read for the five year anniversary of Brum Book Club <3
This was my third time reading this book, and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it! I remember reading it five years ago and finding it quite boring and insubstantial, but I felt completely differently on this re-read.
Firstly, it was so weird reading about a flu-like pandemic after the events of COVID-19. At the start when Jeevan was stockpiling food, his partner wasn't taking him seriously, and then he stopped watching the news because it was really troubling and depressing - it took me back to those early days of March 2020 when we didn't know what was going on and what the future held. The depiction of character's reactions to the pandemic were so realistic to how the real-life pandemic played out which I thought was quite interesting. There was also a moment later on in the book when Clark reflects on his life before the pandemic and all of the things he did for the last time - again, this reminded me of the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic when it had been months and even over a year since we'd done ordinary activities such as going to the cinema or visiting other people. I found the parallels between this book and the character's experience of the pandemic very poignant and made me reflect on how different the world would be if we hadn't created the COVID-19 vaccine.
My main gripe last time I read this book was the lack of a plot and the fact nothing really happens in the story. I still agree with this point, and I wasn't particularly compelled with the book to really want to pick it up and read it, but I think re-reading it multiple times enabled me to understand the characters better and pick up on some of the details which made me enjoy this book a lot more the third time round. I loved how the book switched between following different characters before, during, and after the pandemic, and that fact that their lives all intersect in some way. I do wish Jeevan had also found his way to the Severn City airport too - I felt like his story got a bit lost and wasn't as prominent or interconnected with the other main characters' lives. I particularly liked how each character had quite a different experience post-pandemic and we got to see the variety of experiences in this new world. I loved the inclusion of the prophet - it felt very realistic that some people would end up being religious extremists in a time of crisis, however, I did feel this sub-plot was underexplored and wish we could have seen more of his journey to becoming the prophet.
A few random thoughts:
- Frank being a wheelchair user and not being able to leave his flat was incredibly upsetting and really made me think about all of the different people, whom in one way or another, wouldn't be able to survive due to the inaccessibility of a post-pandemic world.
- The plane that lands at the airport but no one leaves was incredibly chilling and scary. To think about the last moments of everyone on that plane and the difficult decisions that would have been made is so distressing.
- There was a funny conversations between two characters, Clark and Garrett, about corporate jargon and how weird it is, which gave me a lot of anti-capitalist vibes and highlighted how immaterial and unimportant the world of work really is compared to what really matters in life.
- An interesting point was made about the internet and the lost data and information due to no electricity. It made me think about how our world is becoming increasingly digital and if a catastrophe like this were to happen, there would be no lasting legacy from the digital era and so much would be lost. I recently saw a TikTok about the same subject and it made me think about all of the photos and memories I have on my phone or on a hard drive that wouldn't be accessible if electricity and the internet suddenly weren't there anymore.
- I loved the ending of the book - the flicker of electricity in a nearby town gave me such a sense of hope that despite almost ending up extinct due to the virus, humans find a way to come together to survive and rebuild society.
This was my third time reading this book, and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it! I remember reading it five years ago and finding it quite boring and insubstantial, but I felt completely differently on this re-read.
Firstly, it was so weird reading about a flu-like pandemic after the events of COVID-19. At the start when Jeevan was stockpiling food, his partner wasn't taking him seriously, and then he stopped watching the news because it was really troubling and depressing - it took me back to those early days of March 2020 when we didn't know what was going on and what the future held. The depiction of character's reactions to the pandemic were so realistic to how the real-life pandemic played out which I thought was quite interesting. There was also a moment later on in the book when Clark reflects on his life before the pandemic and all of the things he did for the last time - again, this reminded me of the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic when it had been months and even over a year since we'd done ordinary activities such as going to the cinema or visiting other people. I found the parallels between this book and the character's experience of the pandemic very poignant and made me reflect on how different the world would be if we hadn't created the COVID-19 vaccine.
My main gripe last time I read this book was the lack of a plot and the fact nothing really happens in the story. I still agree with this point, and I wasn't particularly compelled with the book to really want to pick it up and read it, but I think re-reading it multiple times enabled me to understand the characters better and pick up on some of the details which made me enjoy this book a lot more the third time round. I loved how the book switched between following different characters before, during, and after the pandemic, and that fact that their lives all intersect in some way. I do wish Jeevan had also found his way to the Severn City airport too - I felt like his story got a bit lost and wasn't as prominent or interconnected with the other main characters' lives. I particularly liked how each character had quite a different experience post-pandemic and we got to see the variety of experiences in this new world. I loved the inclusion of the prophet - it felt very realistic that some people would end up being religious extremists in a time of crisis, however, I did feel this sub-plot was underexplored and wish we could have seen more of his journey to becoming the prophet.
A few random thoughts:
- Frank being a wheelchair user and not being able to leave his flat was incredibly upsetting and really made me think about all of the different people, whom in one way or another, wouldn't be able to survive due to the inaccessibility of a post-pandemic world.
- The plane that lands at the airport but no one leaves was incredibly chilling and scary. To think about the last moments of everyone on that plane and the difficult decisions that would have been made is so distressing.
- There was a funny conversations between two characters, Clark and Garrett, about corporate jargon and how weird it is, which gave me a lot of anti-capitalist vibes and highlighted how immaterial and unimportant the world of work really is compared to what really matters in life.
- An interesting point was made about the internet and the lost data and information due to no electricity. It made me think about how our world is becoming increasingly digital and if a catastrophe like this were to happen, there would be no lasting legacy from the digital era and so much would be lost. I recently saw a TikTok about the same subject and it made me think about all of the photos and memories I have on my phone or on a hard drive that wouldn't be accessible if electricity and the internet suddenly weren't there anymore.
- I loved the ending of the book -