Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

Book Review

Emily St. John Mandel does it again!

Shoutout to Alfred A. Knopf for sending me this gifted advanced copy of one of my most anticipated reads of the year! 🤩💗

This transcendent sci-fi literary fiction novel takes place across five centuries as it hops around in time between Earth and the moon colonies. If you’ve read either of the author’s previous two novels, The Glass Hotel and/or Station Eleven, you’ll notice some crossover elements in this latest novel… I always love a good easter egg!

Told from multiple points of view, this unique story examines the nature of our reality while also contemplating the significance of such.

It’s tough to describe this one without giving too much away, but if you enjoy stories about time travel, plagues and/or the question of ‘are we living in a simulation’ this one is definitely for you!

One of my favorite aspects of this book was reading about the fascinating man-made habitat on the moon. I’m a sucker for futuristic settlements, so it was fun reading about travel to/from the moon colonies and learning about life off Earth. The author does an exquisite job of both world-building and making it clear that - despite a technologically advanced civilization - humans can’t simply outrun their problems, as those living on the moon are still vulnerable to a spreading plague.

The plague aspect of the book was especially interesting to me, as the book was clearly written during the height of our latest pandemic. I imagine the author character in the book expresses many of Emily St. John Mandel’s own musings on living and writing through “unprecedented times.”

While Station Eleven is still my favorite Emily St John Mandel book, this is definitely one I recommend checking out!