Emily St. John Mandel's latest novel, "Exit Party," continues to explore the thematic landscape that has led readers and critics to describe her body of work as a distinct universe, often referred to as the Mandelverse. This latest offering weaves together elements of crime fiction and science fiction, genres Mandel has frequently employed, and revisits characters and themes familiar to readers of her previous novels, including "Station Eleven" and "Sea of Tranquility."
Mandel described the Mandelverse as a collection of novels that, while independently readable, possess a web of connections. She stated in a recent interview that she consistently builds upon her core interests over time.
"Exit Party" is set in a post-traumatic future, beginning in Los Angeles in 2031. The narrative follows Ari Waker, a character previously featured in Mandel's 2010 novel "The Singer's Gun." In this future, the United States has fractured, and the story unfolds over subsequent decades, revealing alternative life paths and blurring societal norms to a point where the distinctions between criminal and law enforcement roles become negligible.
Born Emily St. John Fairbanks, the 47-year-old author's imaginative approach to creating alternate worlds is partly attributed to her upbringing on Denman Island in Canada. She pursued dance before shifting her focus to writing, a path that diverged from a traditional literary education. Mandel noted that her current career path is not something that would have been easily predicted based on her early life.
Mandel's career gained significant traction with the 2014 release of "Station Eleven." This novel, published by Alfred A. Knopf after she moved from an independent press, became a bestseller and a finalist for the National Book Award. Its depiction of a world affected by a pandemic gained particular resonance following the COVID-19 outbreak. "Station Eleven" has sold over a million copies, was adapted into an HBO miniseries, and was recognized as one of the best books of the 21st century in a New York Times survey.
Reflecting on her writing journey, Mandel expressed a sense of increased freedom in her current career phase, feeling less constrained by genre boundaries than when she wrote "The Singer's Gun." She also discussed the recurring appeal of exploring the "life you didn't live," a concept that allows for the examination of how different choices and circumstances could shape an individual's identity.
Mandel's career began with writing in childhood, initially as a hobby. Facing financial realities after a dance education program, she began writing as a potential career path to avoid retail work. She initially expressed a concern about being typecast in crime fiction, despite her respect for writers in that genre.
Mandel suggested that her future projects might move away from speculative fiction. Looking ahead, she anticipates narratives that will feature multiple societal ruptures interspersed with periods of calm. A central theme in her work, she noted, is the search for beauty within impermanence and the importance of finding peace with the transient nature of existence.