Imagining a Future Where a Spy Could Disappear
In Emily St. John Mandel’s new novel Exit Party, becoming a “ghost” means running afoul of the state. In this excerpt, a secret agent discovers it doesn’t take much.
I had notebooks for writing down clues, because even at nine years old, I wanted to work for the Internal Intelligence Service. The Service was a mysterious force, moving dark cars and interrogating people on the street. As a child, I played Ghosts and Agents with my friends, imagining myself as a spy. Later, after high school, I applied successfully to the Service Academy in Los Angeles.
My parents visited me in Fillmore, a small town north of LA, and I showed them around the town. One day, while walking through downtown, we witnessed a florist's shop being emptied and its owners led away in two vans. I knew that they had criticized the State on social media, so they were likely sent to a work camp.
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