The Singer's Gun

Just as most readers remember Jonathan Franzen only from The Corrections onward, so the same could be said for Emily St. John Mandel and Station Eleven. However, both these writers (and many more) had literary careers prior to the works that made them famous. The Singer's Gun is St. John Mandel's second novel (Station Eleven was her fourth) and represents a much more conventional narrative. Set in New York and Italy, it is about loyalty, deception and betrayal, considering what one might be willing to sacrifice for the sake of happiness or an easy life. The premise was a good one, but I did not feel all of the characterization totally convincing, especially in terms of motivation. I did like the closure in the story, but a few slightly strained contrivances were required to get there. No surprise that few remember this novel, but the style in which St. John Mandel writes here provides a very good clue to her future potential: seven and a half out of ten.

By Emily St. John Mandel