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A review by s_p_a_r_k_s
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I really struggled with the star rating for this book. On the one hand, the writing is drop-dead gorgeous, the worldbuilding and epic sweep of the story are impressive, and the story does an incredible job of making you realize just how precious life as we know it truly is. On the other, the characterization is weak, the plot is full of contrivances, and many of the individual storylines feel underbaked (even if they contribute to a beautiful whole). I ultimately ended up giving 3.5 stars because, for all its flaws, Station Eleven is compelling enough that it still sticks with me to this day.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Terminal illness, and Grief
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
This story is about a flu pandemic that wipes out 90% of the population and human civilization along with it. Some main characters die of the virus. There are sequences where characters know they are infected and must chose how to spend their last days on Earth.
Grief pervades every inch of this story. We see characters grieving relationships, careers, dead and dying loved ones, and the end of a world.
One major character has been married three times, and every marriage has ended with him cheating on his wife with someone else. We later read about his first wife's discovery of his infidelity from her point of view. Another character is revealed to have cheated on her previous boyfriend. While her actions aren't *quite* portrayed in a positive light, it's also clear she feels very little remorse, and she's treated as a hero by the narrative for her other actions.
One chronically ill character, unable to travel, decides to take his own life so his brother will be free to escape the rapidly collapsing city they live in.
In the parts of the story set after the apocalypse, violence is relatively common. Several characters are killed with throwing knives, bows and arrows, guns, and other lethal weapons.
There are references to sex, but no graphic sex scenes. The main villains of the post-apocalyptic timeline are a group of cultists. It is strongly implied the cult leader coerces female members of the cult to sleep with him, including minors. This is depicted as horrifying and completely wrong.
Two side characters are kidnapped by a band of cultists. One is ultimately rescued, but the other dies of wounds sustained during the kidnapping.