There were a lot of clues to suggest (fine, that outright stated) that this book would be science fiction; alas, I picked up on exactly zero of them. I read the description as dealing with an actor and an epidemic and thought it sounded interesting, because I like celebrities and I like medical stories, so it seemed right up my alley. What has thus far decidedly not been my genre of choice is science fiction.
I know I’m the rare person who really wasn’t into Brave New World- and not because it was required reading, because if you check out the books I recommend, my favorite ones are firmly within that category. I’ve touched before on the fact that I can’t get behind fantasy or the surreal. It’s why I can’t be dragged to Hunger Games movies or talk about Game of Thrones or feign interest in Harry Potter– I like things that are real and realistic and that could actually happen.
Maybe that’s why Station Eleven was so compelling.
It didn’t feel as unrealistic as I’d have liked for it to feel given the central storyline. Though on the surface it was a post-apocalyptic science fiction book, there was a hard dose of reality in there as well. It was genuinely stressful to imagine a world in which individuals can no longer travel by vehicle, with no ability to gain information about what is happening throughout the world. Perhaps that’s the point of science fiction…though again, I wouldn’t really know.
It was interesting to watch it unfold, but I found myself taking stock of everything around me and wondering how I could live without certain things and whether or not I’d be able to survive the way the characters did- a little heavy to be certain, but it was an interesting treatise on our reliance on modern technology and what seemed to be a warning about the dangers of an inability to adapt.
Not sure when I’ll next venture into science fiction but I’ll admit- I didn’t hate it.
You’ll like this if: you like science fiction, I guess. I don’t know- I have little to compare it to. Suggestions welcome in the comments if you’ve read this and are so inclined.
Happy reading!
carlyreads 