Teresa’s Review of Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
I started Sea of Tranquility because I needed a book I knew I could sink into and find comfort in. And Emily St. John Mandel’s writing does that for me every time. Station Eleven is still my all-time favorite book. That being said, I did not read the summary, I did not know what I was getting into when I picked this book up, because I knew I was going to like it regardless. And whew, like it I did. The book is divided into sections, per year. Many of the sections are in the distant future. And seemingly the sections have nothing to do with the others. Each section is a story, full and complete. But, then…certain hints and clues start to show up in each section. And you start to wonder: are these connected, am I missing something? And then you read more and every new discovery is brilliant and extraordinary. And here’s the thing. I love how this novel reveals itself. And I don’t want to say much more because you need to let it reveal itself to you. Just know, that when I finished Sea of Tranquility, I closed the book, signed and said, “Well Done.”
Nota Bene: A large chunk of this book is about a pandemic. But it isn’t the current pandemic. And, like Station Eleven, the pandemic isn’t the story, it is the humanity and the hope that survives in post-apocalyptic type landscapes. And, I know she will hate me for mentioning it, but when I passed it on to my mom for her to read, I warned her it was about a pandemic. She told me she wasn’t really ready for that in her reading. But then she read it and told me how much she loved it, so take that for what it is worth.
Review by Teresa B Ardrey