Station Eleven

I first heard about Emily St. John Mandel last summer. I was completely charmed by her, so much so that The Glass Hotel has carved out a place for itself in my favourites.

Last summer, in case you forgot (I'm so funny), we were in the middle of a pandemic. So I was tempted to at least attack Station Eleven, one of her biggest hits, about an epidemic that ravages civilization in a few days. It was released in 2014, 5 years before COVID. It almost feels like a premonition.

But now that I am living my best life in Germany and our global pandemic seems far behind me, I felt ready to be shaken up again. And to check out just how much of a fan I am of Emily.

Summary

One day Jeevan receives a call from a doctor friend, who tells him in all seriousness that a virus is killing everyone very quickly, and that he must take refuge somewhere with as many supplies as possible. Two or three days later, humans are dropping like flies. Only a few pockets of the population are spared from the disease, and must learn to live in a world without electricity, without means of communication, without health care, in short without civilization.

Impressions

This is the second Emily St. John Mandel novel I've read, and I think I see what makes me love her so adamantly.

She is humble: she doesn't blow smoke up our eyes with poetic but hollow phrases; she simply tries to do it right.

She is a professional; she writes with finesse and care, resulting in books that are both engaging and technically sound. She writes good dialogue, creates realistic and engaging characters and a complex story, all with the right words and a steady pace that keeps us hooked from beginning to end.

She is sensitive; she creates characters that I really like, especially her female characters. I find them realistic, I identify with them, and I genuinely care about their well-being. She moves me, and she does it gently.

Furthermore, she is very cute and she has the same haircut as me. So that finishes me off.