Station Eleven

Actor Arthur Leander dies on stage from a heart attack while performing King Lear. His death is a preface to the deaths of billions: an epidemic of Georgia Flu is engulfing the world and there will be few survivors.

Arthur’s life and legacy binds together the other characters of the story, which repeatedly returns to him at different moments in his life: before, during and after the epidemic that becomes the backdrop for this beautifully observed novel. The cleverly structured story flits through time, painting a deep picture of Arthur, from beginner actor to world famous movie star. His friendship with Clark and his relationships with his numerous wives are painted with clarity and sensitivity, yet it is not Arthur who is the central character of this book. If there is a central character at all, it is Station Eleven itself - the subject of a fictional graphic novel written and drawn by Miranda, one of Arthur’s many wives.

Station Eleven takes us on a literary journey, navigating the human condition from despair to hope and back again. The bulk of the story is set twenty or so years after the Georgia Flu epidemic, and focuses on several key characters who were connected with Arthur. Yet even though the characters are keenly observed and very believable, the book isn’t about them as much it is about the human condition. Don’t expect a plot-driven dystopian adventure: Station Eleven is much more sophisticated than that.

I read a lot of speculative fiction, and have a soft spot for the “future dystopia”. These stories must be about more than mere survival, or they simply feel hollow. Station Eleven achieves this with great effect, focusing on issues around collective memory, technological progress (or subsequent lack of it), and the preservation of culture through the generations.

The novel is beautifully written, with just enough time spent on each of the characters for us to understand them and empathise with them. There was some inconsistency in tone: In places the prose was fast and plain, while elsewhere scenes were painted with richer, deeper language. But it’s a minor quibble when the rest of the book is such an engrossing read.

Recommended for all fans of future dystopias, especially those searching for our humanity in the ruins.