A review by sfbookgirl
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Whew, what a book. And what a book to read during a pandemic. I could have maybe skipped reading this book entirely but I was really curious to know what all of the hype was about…and also because I love dystopian novels. The story goes back and forth between pre-pandemic days and the present. The majority of the novel surrounds around the Traveling Symphony who performs Shakesphere and music for the scarce communities of survivors. 
 
Station Eleven is eerie and at some points terrifying as one would expect from a novel like this one. What resonated with me most was a moment in the book in which they speak about alternative universes and question whether there is another reality out there that also experienced a pandemic, but not as destructive as this one…which must mean that Emily St. John Mandel is able to predict the future. It was also super interesting to read reviews written prior to 2020 and note what reviewers thought of this book with no insight into what would happen in just a few years time. Overall, an excellent novel that doesn’t appear as captivating as it may have been perceived prior to our pandemic.
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