I am going to say something HUGE: Station Eleven is my favorite book. It’s not the most well-written, it’s not necessarily earth-shattering, but it is my all-time favorite book.*
Station Eleven begins at the end of the world as we know it. A disease has wiped out most of the population, the grid has fallen, and most people are wanderers. But that’s not really what this book is about. It’s really about the strange way our lives connect with each other- in ways we know about, and ways we don’t. Each character interacts with the other in some pivotal and plot changing way, most of the time not even realizing it.
The story is told through time hops- sometimes it’s the present day, sometimes it’s the memory of days past. The perspective changes too, including different characters’ thoughts and experiences.
There are some very dark situations in this story and an eeriness when you imagine the world just kind of...empty. But I found Station Eleven to be one of the most uplifting books I have ever read. In the end, I felt like we (the BIG we, we the people) were going to be fine. That life goes on in extraordinary ways and that everything we do matters in some way.
I would highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a change of pace in what you’re reading. It was so gripping to me that I read it in one sitting, and felt very attached to the characters and all their flaws. I wish the author had given us more- more chapters, more detail, more character development- but I think part of that was intentional, to convey the urgency of the situation and the fleeting ways we think of ourselves when we haven’t been tested.
This is not a horror story or an apocalypse tale- it’s really a coming of age story that reminds us that you change throughout your life so you may come of age many times.
*My other favorite books: Harry Potter, The Great Gatsby, Educated (but the list goes on and on and on!)
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