Things to Read Before the Apocalypse: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Shakespeare. Mozart. Civilization. Culture. These are not the words we usually associate as main features of the Post-Apocalyptic (PA) genre, whether zombie-induced, plague-provoked, or man (read: human)-made. Most works of this kind focus entirely on strife and struggle of the blood-soaked aftermath that will immediately follow the (inevitable?) end of the world as we know it – the pleasures and privileges of Pre-Event life seem but a distant memory in the face of the threat of extinction that each second brings.

In Canadian author Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven, however, we are offered a refreshing glimpse of a world where light and dark are balanced and blurred into a story that allows us to reflect more deeply on what would truly be lost if SHTF. Set in the North-Eastern US/Canada (the Toronto scenes are particularly unsettling for anyone familiar with the downtown core), Mandel unpacks the intermingling paths of her several protagonists through the moments leading up to, immediately following, and years (up to 20) after the outbreak of the Georgian Flu, an unstoppable illness that obliterated 95% of the world’s population with devastating efficiency.

Although Mandel’s use of time-shifting throughout the book can take some getting used to, it is this device that gives her the space to really explore the relationships of her characters, to make palpable the feeling of loss that each one must endure, and to remind us that, if we can weather the Apocalyptic storm, the relative banality of daily routine, simple pleasures, and petty human dramas is never far off. Mandel seems to intentionally bypass the darkness and violence of the proverbial “Year 1” in favour of a bleak, yet less plot-driven landscape where the thoughts and memories of the characters matter more than their actions.

It is at this point that more orthodox (read: “hardcore”) PA enthusiasts might object or lose interest. After all, it is this violent expression of the human will to survive, of the impossible choice to kill or be killed, of the understanding that morality is often the first casualty in a world where life for all but the most depraved, prepared or lucky is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short” (Hobbes, 1651). These are fair criticisms and for such readers the book will not be without its frustrations. Many of the survivors survive only as a matter of blind luck and circumstance, with no skill or preparation required, and despite the presence of a few misguided “bad apples”, there is a strong underlying sense of co-operation and curiosity throughout the story. That being said, there is still a healthy smattering of moments that the PA Puritans will appreciate: Jeevan’s terrifying struggle for survival in Toronto the weeks following the outbreak, Kirsten’s years of uncertainty and vigilance on the road as part of the Travelling Symphony, Clark’s attempts to re-establish community, order, and civilization amongst strangers.

Like Shakespeare in the plague-stricken London of the 1500’s, Mandel imparts a similar message to the reader through the voices of the actors and musicians of her Travelling Symphony: even when all is darkness, the show must go on.

A special thanks to Patrick Boyd for sharing this book with us. Patrick is a survivor of Zombie Survival Camp and has come back many times to be a zombie.

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