Station Eleven: A Novel (National Book Award Finalist)

Reviews

1. 

   C. E. Stevens – July 23, 2024

   A page-turner, but doesn’t quite live up to its promise in an increasingly crowded genre
   There is much to like about Station Eleven. The writing is engaging, clear, and–considering the post-apocalyptic context–very beautiful. Mandel switches between different perspectives and time in a smooth and seamless manner. Main characters are reasonably well-developed (although there are some critical exceptions). The premise is not altogether novel (I had to chuckle a bit when Mandel, seeming to break the fourth wall a bit, notes that usually this kind of tale involves zombies), but I thought Mandel’s take on the “post-apocalypse” was fresh–specifically, her deliberate avoidance of the darkest year or two after the pandemic, the focus on individuals’ inner thoughts, regrets, and desires, and the slightly more esoteric focus on arts and “civilization” rather than the more immediate task of surviving (indeed, the “survival is insufficient” mantra pretty much captures the spirit of the whole novel). Overall, it’s a page-turner but also thought-provoking at the same time.On the other hand, I thought there were some flaws as well. None were fatal on their own, but added together, they did lessen the impact of the book below what it had the potential to be. In fact, most could be thought of as caveats to the strong points I mentioned above. While I did admire Mandel’s attempts to go above/beyond the day-to-day “survival” aspect of the post-apocalypse, this also did lessen my ability to really grasp/believe/feel the world that she has created. Other than the danger presented by the prophet and his crew, there is no real sense of danger or adversity for the main characters in the story. At worst, they complain about the heat. In a world that fits the literal definition of “anarchy”, the idea of a band of traveling actors/musicians just seems implausible … almost laughable (granted, there are no zombies here, but this group would be lucky to survive a day in the world of the Walking Dead). At the very least, much more detail is needed to answer the questions that will surely nag at the reader. On the other hand, given that a full two decades have passed, it is surprising that more progress hasn’t been made to restore civilization (*especially* if the world is as generally peaceful as Mandel portrays it to be). To be frank, Mandel seems more interested in filling in the *pre*-apocalyptic “past” of Arthur Leander and his associates than that of the *post*-apocalyptic “present.” While both were interesting, and fit together in a vague “everything is connected / you make your own fate” kind of way, it leaves the reader a little unclear what Mandel is trying to say exactly. Mandel sets herself up nicely for a deep exploration of the desire to preserve what you have versus to create something new (this is basically the main theme of the Station Eleven comic), but this just didn’t come through that strongly in the actual/non-comic story. This focus on both “before” and “after” also hurts the pacing of the story. Although the “pre” world is the better developed story, these reminisces on the past put the brakes on the faster-paced, more suspenseful “present”.Many of the characters were pretty well fleshed out (for whatever reason, Clark was a favorite of mine) but others were either underdeveloped or underutilized. “The prophet” is perhaps the main example. Given the prophet’s age and the centrality of Arthur Leander, an attentive reader will figure out his identity pretty much as soon as he is introduced, yet Mandel spends a long time making the reveal official. Moreover, oddly, he is one of the few characters that we never see things from his perspective (maybe because there is little to see?). What’s the saying about a story being only as good as its villain? Unfortunately, that’s a problem for this story … the prophet has no worldview, no real philosophy … just self-aggrandizing megalomania. In general, while we get to know a half dozen or so people quite well (Arthur, Clark, Miranda, Kirsten), most others are hard to really care about positively or negatively–especially in the post-apocalypse.This seems like a lot of complaining, but overall I did like the book. I just didn’t finish it as moved or as intellectually stimulated/challenged as I hoped. The description on Amazon calls this book “audacious” … but is it really? There are many books dealing with apocalyptic themes, and it seems like these days more books shift between different times and perspectives than don’t … while Mandel’s voice is unique, this book is also surprisingly “safe” on a number of fronts. Perhaps my expectations were just a bit too high … I liked this book, but I just didn’t love it as much as I hoped I would.

2. 

   Samuel E. Wagar – July 23, 2024

   I am late getting to this but I just finished this exceptional, beautiful, profound work. A novel which broadly concerns the importance of art and culture in making a meaningful life – set just before and after a great pandemic kills 99% of humanity. Interlocking stories of characters connected through an actor whose death of a heart attack occurs on the day the pandemic hits Toronto – a child actress, his ex-wives, his best friend, a paramedic who tries to save him, his son. And a travelling company of musicians and actors who have a circuit around the Great Lakes playing symphonic music and performing Shakespeare in the tiny settlements of survivors. Mandel describes ordinary things with such beauty, as she sets them in the context of the great disaster and social collapse – how ordinary things like the telephone, coffee at a coffee shop, are made strange because a few days later the plague will hit, how the small moments become significant in the light of death.

3. 

   Ana – July 23, 2024

   Me encantó este libro, a pesar de ser una distopía guarda esperanza, amor, suspenso, de todo. Varias historias unidas por un mismo hilo, y dadas las circunstancias actuales de pandemia, uno puede evitar quedar agradecido, podía haber sido peor.

4. 

   Susana – July 23, 2024

   La caracterización de los personajes es impecable y el cierre de la trama,incluso con varias líneas temporales, es perfecto. Me ha encantado