Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel is a standalone adult fiction novel with a science fiction flourish.
From the remote forests of Vancouver, to the present only weeks before the Covid outbreak, through space to the Lunar colonies a hundred years later, and finally, many years beyond that to the far flung colonies on the edges of our solar system... time ties.
A single moment, an anomaly, causes a ripple effect that will forever effect the lives of four people. Through the lens of pandemic and plague, the story unfolds.
^^Wow that was probably my most disjointed and cryptic recap. You're welcome. On to the review.
Written from four perspectives across decades, Sea of Tranquility, is a story about love, plague, the meaning of time and humanity. I quite enjoyed this little novel. In true St. John Mandel fashion, at first you really have no idea how these stories are going to tie together and then they do. This is more of a psychological book than anything else; we are lead toward the twists throughout the book and so, we aren't surprised when we get there at the end--we are just left satisfied.
Actually, I kept finding myself thinking about Blake Crouch as I was reading this book. I got the same physics/alternate reality vibes from this one as I do Crouch's, who I love. I don't think this one is going to be a winner with everyone, but those who love it are going to love it for sure.
This one gets a high 4 or 5 stars from me. I read it at the right time and thoroughly enjoyed it.
That's all for now!
-M-
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