Emily St. John Mandel
Highly recommend Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. I heard of the book via Tyler Cowen’s podcast Conversations with Tyler. It’s a great read; I couldn’t put it down. I noticed the craftwork, with the changing perspectives, narration, time shifting and tiebacks. Not sure if that’s an endorsement or criticism. I hadn’t noticed it that strongly in other books I’ve read.
The plot involves an airborne disease that wipes out most of humanity and launches the world (we think) into a post-apocalyptic scenario. Reading this in the spring of 2020 gives the story extra weight. St. John Mandel include a lot of typical post-apocalyptic elements, but with a unique twist. Groups wander around this ravaged world and encounter danger and violence; but the travelers are a troupe of actors and musicians that perform in each town, called the Traveling Symphony. When they find untouched houses, they look for costumes for their plays and parts for their instruments, besides cans of beans. A great riff on the traditional post-apocalyptic story. Everything gets tied back, and rewards the reader for learning extraneous details. Recommended.
