`Author:` Emily St John Mandel `Availability:` ## Summary Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel is a non-linear, post-apocalyptic novel that ==explores the endurance of art and humanity after a devastating global pandemic==.  **Plot Overview** The story follows several interconnected characters before, during, and 20 years after the [Georgia Flu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Station_Eleven)—a virus that kills 99% of the world's population.  1. **The Collapse:** The novel begins in Toronto during a production of _King Lear_. Famous actor [Arthur Leander](https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/station-eleven/character/elizabeth-colton/) dies on stage from a heart attack just as the pandemic arrives. Jeevan Chaudhary, an aspiring EMT in the audience, tries to save him and later helps child actress Kirsten Raymonde. 2. **Year Twenty:** Kirsten is now a member of the [Traveling Symphony](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Station-Eleven), a troupe of actors and musicians who perform Shakespeare and classical music for survivors in the Great Lakes region. Their motto, taken from _Star Trek_, is **"Survival is insufficient"**. 3. **The Prophet:** While traveling, the Symphony encounters a violent religious cult led by "The Prophet," who believes the pandemic was a divine cleansing. The Prophet is later revealed to be Tyler Leander, Arthur's son, who was heavily influenced by his mother’s religious fervor during the collapse. 4. **The Museum of Civilization:** The characters eventually converge at the [Severn City Airport](https://www.litcharts.com/lit/station-eleven/summary), where Arthur’s best friend, Clark Thompson, has curated a museum of pre-collapse artifacts like iPhones and credit cards. The novel ends with a sign of hope: the sight of a distant town that has regained electricity.  **Key Themes** - **Interconnectedness:** Despite the vast timelines, characters are linked by their relationship to Arthur Leander and a rare [graphic novel](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20170404-station-eleven) titled _Station Eleven_, created by Arthur’s first wife, Miranda Carroll. - **The Role of Art:** The book emphasizes that mere survival is not enough; art and culture are essential to maintaining human identity. - **Memory and Loss:** Characters struggle with the "before" world, with those who remember it often feeling the weight of its loss more acutely than those born after the collapse. ## Key Takeaways ## Quotes - ## Notes > [!info] > ![[station-eleven.jpg]] `Concepts:` `Knowledge Base:` ## Highlights