Dear Great Book Guru, As we are completing the second year of the pandemic, we all wonder how long will it last… and then I heard about a book written years ago that tells the story of a pandemic that lasted decades. Do you know anything about it and- if so- worth reading? Pandemic Weary
Dear Pandemic Weary,
Yes, the book is STATION ELEVEN
by Emily St. John Mandel and a TV series based on it has recently
aired. The story begins in Canada
during a performance of “King Lear” and the actors we meet will reappear
throughout the novel. As the play ends, a devastating virus attacks and
millions of people quickly succumb – some whom we have just met. The survivors
spread out over the United States and form unlikely communities- some live for decades
in an airport, others form a religious cult, while actors from the original
Shakespeare group band together in a “traveling symphony” that attempts to
bring a touch of civilization in the midst of enormous despair. There is a mystery that works its way
throughout – a set of comic books that connects many of the survivors. While the novel is terrifying on many levels,
there is a sense that humanity prevails with the opening tragedy of “King Lear”
giving way to the comedy of “Midsummer Night’s Dream. “ A difficult topic in
difficult times but recommended!