Station Eleven

by Emily St. John Mandel

I came across this story through the equivalently named streaming series at the beginning of the year. It's about a virus wiping 99% of the world's population in a matter of days. Post-Covid this might seem like a what might have been story. But the book was actually written in 2014.

It tracks a number of people who make up the "Travelling Symphony" that circles around the great lakes area between the US and Canada performing Shakespeare, 20 years after the catastrophe. Timelines are from the day the virus really hit home. So characters are often referring to day three or the first year. The story jumps around in the timeline, making it an interesting read.

What I particularly like about the book is that it not only tells a compelling story but also raises a number of points for discussion about what life might be like in such a world, where there is no electricity anymore and no machines work, but their remains are everywhere to be seen.

The Netflix series changes the story quite significantly, but without straying from the original idea too far. Both the series and the book are well told. Well worth watching and reading! I would recommend watching the series first, as it makes it easier to contrast and compare the two stories when reading the book. And also to not be dissapointed by the series, if you read the book first as is usually the case in the film adaptions of books.

From 16.02.2025 to 23.02.2025