Emily St. John Mandel Imagines What Comes After America
In her new novel, she considers the tenuousness of any possible future.
Emily St. John Mandel's novel Exit Party imagines a future where the United States has collapsed and two parallel worlds collide in unexpected ways. The story follows 48-year-old Ari Waker, who is released from prison and struggles to adapt to a chaotic Los Angeles. One spring, during the first spring after the United States' collapse, Ari attends a party in Silver Lake where people from a parallel world accidently appear.
Alongside Ari is Ibari, a 79-year-old high-ranking member of the Internal Security Service who has long been complicit in the disappearance of rule-breaking citizens.
Ari and Ibari are doppelgängers, genetically identical individuals who make drastically different decisions in their parallel lives. Despite their differences, they are ultimately the same. Mandel explores the theme of humanity's limited understanding of life's sudden changes with a focus on the human toll of chaos or repression. The narrative intertwines multiple characters, timelines, and events, creating a fragmented yet cohesive story.
In the alternate world, the US has turned into a fortress, with a doctrine of "Harmony at any cost." Ari and Ibari try to comprehend the inexplicable events that brought them together, reflecting on the consequences of their individual choices. The novel poignantly examines the resilience and complex moral compass of its protagonist, Ari, who remains an aware and observant character throughout the story.
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