2014 National Book Award Finalist
A New York Times Bestseller
An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse, Station Eleven tells the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.
One snowy night Arthur Leander, a famous actor, has a heart attack onstage during a production of King Lear. Jeevan Chaudhary, a paparazzo-turned-EMT, is in the audience and leaps to his aid. A child actress named Kirsten Raymonde watches in horror as Jeevan performs CPR, pumping Arthur’s chest as the curtain drops, but Arthur is dead. That same night, as Jeevan walks home from the theater, a terrible flu begins to spread. Hospitals are flooded and Jeevan and his brother barricade themselves inside an apartment, watching out the window as cars clog the highways, gunshots ring out, and life disintegrates around them.
Fifteen years later, Kirsten is an actress with the Traveling Symphony. Together, this small troupe moves between the settlements of an altered world, performing Shakespeare and music for scattered communities of survivors. Written on their caravan, and tattooed on Kirsten’s arm is a line from Star Trek: “Because survival is insufficient.” But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who digs graves for anyone who dares to leave.
Spanning decades, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, this suspenseful, elegiac novel is rife with beauty. As Arthur falls in and out of love, as Jeevan watches the newscasters say their final good-byes, and as Kirsten finds herself caught in the crosshairs of the prophet, we see the strange twists of fate that connect them all. A novel of art, memory, and ambition, Station Eleven tells a story about the relationships that sustain us, the ephemeral nature of fame, and the beauty of the world as we know it.
From the Hardcover edition.
A New York Times Bestseller
An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse, Station Eleven tells the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.
One snowy night Arthur Leander, a famous actor, has a heart attack onstage during a production of King Lear. Jeevan Chaudhary, a paparazzo-turned-EMT, is in the audience and leaps to his aid. A child actress named Kirsten Raymonde watches in horror as Jeevan performs CPR, pumping Arthur’s chest as the curtain drops, but Arthur is dead. That same night, as Jeevan walks home from the theater, a terrible flu begins to spread. Hospitals are flooded and Jeevan and his brother barricade themselves inside an apartment, watching out the window as cars clog the highways, gunshots ring out, and life disintegrates around them.
Fifteen years later, Kirsten is an actress with the Traveling Symphony. Together, this small troupe moves between the settlements of an altered world, performing Shakespeare and music for scattered communities of survivors. Written on their caravan, and tattooed on Kirsten’s arm is a line from Star Trek: “Because survival is insufficient.” But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who digs graves for anyone who dares to leave.
Spanning decades, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, this suspenseful, elegiac novel is rife with beauty. As Arthur falls in and out of love, as Jeevan watches the newscasters say their final good-byes, and as Kirsten finds herself caught in the crosshairs of the prophet, we see the strange twists of fate that connect them all. A novel of art, memory, and ambition, Station Eleven tells a story about the relationships that sustain us, the ephemeral nature of fame, and the beauty of the world as we know it.
From the Hardcover edition.
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Comments
5
bpagano (Grade: A) I wasn't sure what to expect from this one. Many people said it wasn't really science fiction. They are partially right. This book could easily be classified as literary fiction-- despite the post-pandemic, slightly near-future setting.
The book was an absolute pleasure to read. I look forward to reading more of her work.
(Rated on Apr 15, 2015)
3
Electron (Grade: B+) The lives of multiple characters are interconnected both before and after a plague that wipes out most of humanity. Enjoyed overall, but little in the way of forward-moving plot. Mostly short scenes from different characters POV.
(Rated on May 8, 2015)
3
skipjones (Grade: A) When I finished the book I gave it a B. I thoroughly enjoyed it but found a couple of developments predictable. As the next week passed, I found I was thinking about the story and characters still. I am happy to say this book made a positive impression just when I thought I was getting tired of dystopian fiction.
(Rated on May 15, 2015)
2
jedigirl (Grade: C) I can't get over how sad I am about the fact that I didn't fall in love with this book! I really wanted to! It seemed like the perfect book for me. A literary dystopia. I've even heard it likened to Atwood's speculative novels. And it does have really good moments! But most of the time it felt like the story was just meandering without getting to the point. Without getting anywhere really. The premise is actually perfect. After most of the population has been wiped out by a deadly virus we f
(Rated on Oct 2, 2015)
2
wizardsheart (Grade: A) Loved this book! The tone of it really resonated with me. It was haunting and sad, but beautiful. I loved the way it flipped back and forth in time.
(Rated on Dec 20, 2015)
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