Station Eleven

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm not sure reading a book about civilization's collapse because of a pandemic is advisable during a real pandemic, but I didn't know what Station Eleven was about. I only knew that many people highly recommended it, and it was available through my Libby app. I had no idea what a great book it would be - how timely and how profound. To strip away the lights, the noise, and the chaos of current life and to just focus on survival is hard to imagine, yet Mandel managed to create a believable world post-collapse. I loved how the characters were subtly linked and that the early repercussions of choices and relationships resounded throughout the story. I also loved the Station Eleven story references and how they applied to the lives the characters were actually living. The concluding portions about the characters, especially Arthur, were such that I will be thinking about this book for a long time.

I know our pandemic is nothing like the one in Station Eleven, but I do think it's had a similar effect. People are making hard decisions as they realize that life is short and we shouldn't wait to live the life we want. I know that's not all that this pandemic has brought us - despair, discordance, etc are rampant. The political ridiculousness and faulty logic in our country is horrifying, and crazily enough, Mandel does manage to capture some of that fanaticism. But the simplicity and the focus on life at home during our real life pandemic has been interesting and caused me a lot of introspection. I'm glad to be able to be safe at home and not forced to face a scary world like the characters of Station Eleven.

I highly recommend this book, but it could be triggering for some readers.

Seems to strange to say happy reading after such serious topics, but in this crazy time, I'm grateful for the simple things like reading that make life more meaningful.

ps. If the review makes you think of Cormac McCarthy's The Road, you are not wrong. That said, The Road was so disturbing and so dark. Though Mandel's world collapse is just as severe, it is not nearly as hard or devastating to read.

pps. Another book read in a day - couldn't stop listening.