A review by thecatladybooknook_penny
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

 Wow wow wow!!! My mind is blown!!! But to be transparent, I think I would have given this 4 stars if I had not read Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel before. The Glass Hotel has the most crossover....but *I* think Station Eleven has some crossover and I may be stretching that opinion, but it works with Sea of Tranquility. (Also Station Eleven has crossover with The Glass Hotel.) You don't NEED to have read Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel in order to enjoy this book but reading them HIGHLY enhances the experience.

In true Mandel style, she writes in tiny clues (so PAY ATTENTION!!), little threads from characters, then you get further in and BOOM, she shocks you when that clue or thread pops up again and she adds to it or it ties up the thread and you feel like you've finished the outside portion of your puzzle. If you're a lover of finding clues and little "easter eggs" across books (like in Stephen King's multiverse), then you'll love this!

This was me and how my brain felt reading this! LOL
So what is this book about? Mostly about time travel. One of the BEST time travel books I've ever read. If you're a time travel lover type of reader, you'll love this! The story starts in 1912 then quickly jumps to more modern times then future time when some people live on the Moon in domed cities. There is a bit of an emphasis on pandemics in one chapter as well as discussion on why people like to read post-apocalyptic type books and what the character's opinion is on why.