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CanLit150

Celebrate more than 150 years of Canada with 150 books.

Vikki Vansickle Recommends

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

“I’m not a re-reader, but immediately after finishing Station Eleven by Emily St Jon Mandel I knew I had to read it again, and soon. This thoughtful study of humanity dips into the lives of many characters who share a tenuous connection stemming from a doomed performance of King Lear the night a great plague sweeps across the globe. It is a beautifully written, intricately woven narrative and the most hopeful book about the end of the world I have ever read.” – Vikki Vansickle

Station Eleven (2015)

(From Penguin Random House)

Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.

Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed.

Emily St. John Mandel

(From Penguin Random House)
Emily St. John Mandel was born in British Columbia, Canada. Her most recent novel, Station Eleven, was a finalist for a 2014 National Book Award and a New York Times bestseller. Her previous novels were Last Night in MontrealThe Singer’s Gun, and The Lola Quartet. She is a staff writer for The Millions, and her work has appeared in numerous anthologies, including The Best American Mystery Stories 2013 and Venice Noir. She lives in New York City with her husband.

www.emilymandel.com