Station Eleven

Deeply affecting, haunting, and with a long-lasting impact, Station Eleven has to be a potential candidate for Novel of the Year. Sure, there is perhaps a greater poignancy in reading a post-apocalyptic novel whose action follows a flu that has wiped out much of humanity, when in the surreal era of COVID. However, this is slightly to miss the point of Station Eleven. St. John Mandel writes with verve and originality, with obvious indebtedness both to Margaret Atwood and to David Mitchell. There are stories within stories, shifts in temporal perspective, and above all an acknowledgement about the random yet interconnected nature of humans' existence. The point is well made about current complacency (that which — or so much — is taken for granted), but also the radical topic of what (physical things and/or memories) you would seek to preserve. Nostalgia and yearning are important emotions developed well in the novel. Station Eleven ends on an optimistic note, but there is also the important message that where there is art, there is hope. Shakespeare (a central leitmotif, but also one which sits effortlessly alongside Star Trek) continues to endure. Regularly throughout reading I would pause, contemplate and marvel at the quality of St. John Mandel's writing. Superlative, 10/10.

By Emily St. John Mandel