Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, 333 pagesTwenty years after the collapse of civilization via a fast-moving virus, 28-year-old Kirsten Raymonde is an actress in a theater troupe called the Traveling Symphony. The symphony travels from town to town, performing the works of Shakespeare, which have survived where it's modern counterparts (as well as electricity and other modern comforts) have faltered. Like much of what remains after the virus, Kirsten's life is defined by what happened before, namely her interactions with a famous actor who died of a heart attack the day before the virus hit North America. So while we read Kirsten's story, Mandel also relays the story of the actor and those around him in a series of flashbacks.
While the story may sound convoluted, Mandel does an excellent job weaving together the Before and the After. While I would have liked a bit more resolution, I appreciate the way Mandel wraps it up, leaving the reader a bit wistful and confused, just like the characters of the book. I highly recommend this one.
That cover doesn't exactly scream "post-apocalypse" to me. But it sounds like it's not exactly your typical post-apocalyptic novel anyway, so maybe that's for the best.
ReplyDeleteWell, you know what they say about judging books by their covers... :)
DeleteAnyway, I think the cover is actually quite appropriate for the book, even if it's not the obvious "post-apocalypse" image.