Just Finished Reading: Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel (FP: 2014)

They called it the Georgian Flu because it seemed to appear on the world stage at the edge of Russia. At first it seemed like just another wave of seasonal flu passing over the world but it wasn’t. But at least it was far away, another countries, another continents problem. Until the plane arrived and, hours later, passengers started showing up sick at the local hospital. Within 24 hours they knew just how bad it would be. Warning calls went out to friends, families, colleagues: Get somewhere safe, get enough food, and stay away from EVERYONE. Too late, far too late. For most of those who got sick the prognosis was pretty clear – death within 48-72 hours. For the lucky few they had something else to deal with – a world without electricity, without cell phones, without Google, where a cut or a bad tooth could kill you as easily as a looters bullet. The survivors emerged into an empty world of small communities and travelling players – relaying news and bringing music and, most importantly, Shakespeare and a feeling of almost normality. Kirsten was there the night it happened, the night movie star Arthur Leander died on stage. Twenty years later she is on stage again playing different roles in a very different world. Much has been lost, much can never be replaced, but much has been retained, saved, cherished. The human story is far from over because mere survival has never been sufficient.

I don’t know how I managed to miss (or possibly why I avoided) this novel for so long. I have a vague memory of picking it up when it came out and just as quickly putting it back down again. But after hearing the glowing reviews and reading some of my Blog Buddies comments I felt I had to finally take the plunge. I’m so glad I did. I’ve read some pretty good novels this year but I think I can confidently put this at the head of the pack. Not only is it a compellingly told story it is a dozen compelling told stories. I think the thing that impressed me most about this very impressive novel – and apart from just how beautifully it was written in liquid prose – was how the narrative circled back on itself shuttling between the ‘now’ of today, the ‘future’ after the pandemic has passed and the ‘past’ of characters back stories which all together weave the narrative picture. Even objects – like Kirsten’s comic books and glass globe – get this treatment as we follow them through time and space to explain how they got there and what they meant to different people along the way. I think this is one of those very rare books that you could read repeatedly and still get things from it. It is also one of those rare books that I would recommend (or even give a copy of) to almost anyone. Despite the fact that the genre if most definitely Science-Fiction this novel most definitely transcends that genre into something more universal. It is simply a great novel – period. I honestly loved it and everything about it. I don’t think that I could find a single thing I didn’t like about it. I was deeply impressed by the characterisation (always so important for me) and thought that the author really understood each and every one of them. None of their personalities seemed ‘off’ or contrived to move the narrative forward. Things just seemed real. Very highly recommended. I’ll most definitely be reading everything she has and will produce. A total gem.