If the US Collapses Soon, Don’t Blame Emily St. John Mandel
Emily St. John Mandel’s 2014 novel, Station Eleven, turned her into something of a pandemic prophet. Her new novel, Exit Party, imagines two possible American futures—totalitarian state and post-civil-war chaos.
Emily St. John Mandel, author of the acclaimed novel Station Eleven, has released a new book titled Exit Party. Mandel's inspiration for the book's concept began in 2022, a time when political polarization and extremism were already on the rise. The novel explores two contrasting futures of the United States: a violent, post-civil-war scenario and a totalitarian state with extensive surveillance.
Mandel, who started writing Exit Party during that turbulent period, acknowledges the eerie resemblance between the book's imagined futures and the current reality. However, she reiterates that predicting the country's future is not her forte, emphasizing the importance of examining the potential consequences of the current political climate.
Her novel, which is both riveting and human, aims to inspire readers to reflect on their actions and choices when faced with a collapsing society.
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