Station Eleven - Emily St John Mandel

⭐ 9.0/10

(Originally written by Tim)

I read this after loving the TV show, and there's a reason the show is so good - the book is also great! In a post-apocalyptic world where people still struggle to survive it examines the human necessity for art and expression and connection.

Its hard not to just compare it to the show, but I think even without that reference it paints a vivid picture of what the world would look like in that situation. Some scarily accurate early pandemic reactions, but also an interesting look at how people would have adjusted 20 years in the future. The difference between people who lived through the pandemic and were born after was also interesting to me, and the desire to return to a life with more safety and even technology that seems magical was moving.

The show goes to great lengths to connect all the characters, and while the connections exist here they don't feel as forced. Had me thinking about Cloud Atlas, less the reincarnation bit and more the connections people make and the directions it can send them. Two kids read the same comic book, one decides to become a cult leader and the other travel around the Great Lakes performing Shakespeare. This isn't accounting for their situations and experiences, but I found it fascinating.

The characters are great too, and while I saw them in my head as the TV actors they felt more fully fleshed out in the book. Arthur is kind of the main cog in the machine, and the character had a lot more depth here than I felt he did in the show.

I think because the show was a 10/10 masterpiece it was hard for me to put the book at that same level. The show provides a level of catharsis that the book holds back on, so I found it hard to connect to it like I did the show. Still, an excellent book that feels made for the moment. Reminded me of The Leftovers in a lot of ways, another terrific show.