Station Eleven: Parts VII, VIII and IX (Contains Spoilers)

[Jodi]

This is the thread to discuss Station Eleven Parts VII, VIII and IX: The Terminal, The Prophet and Station Eleven

[Megan, Challenges]

Whoa, I didn't want it to stop!!!

[Laurie]

Maybe there will be a sequel where we can see society and these relationships develop.

[Meg]

The Terminal was my favourite section of the whole book. It was so interesting to see how people coped with the end of the world in almost a mundane manner. Having spent a lot of time in airports myself I think I would go insane if trapped there forever!

[Victoria]

I've just finished it and I'm trying to get my thoughts on this book in order. As a predominantly character driven book this is usually the sort of book I would struggle with due to a lack of overarching plot to keep the momentum going. The plot of this book seems to be a look at the lives of the characters pre and post Georgia Flu and how they inter connect which while a very valid form of story construction and writing is usually less of my cup of tea than plot driven novels. Having said that I do like the fact that it ended with a fair bit unresolved, the world appears to be moving forward - there is one place at least that is harnessing electricity which will please the readers who thought it improbable that electricity would not be available in year 20 and some of the characters fates are unknown Elizabeth for example and what the future holds for the symphony and the survivors in the airport. I feel this adds a realism to the novel as people go through life meeting other people some of whom we hold close to us and some of whom we have only the briefest of interactions.

I find it interesting that there is talk about whether a sequel will be written and I have to say I find it difficult to think what the point of a sequel would be. We have learnt of the end of the world as we know it and we have journeyed with characters as they carve out their lives in the new version of the world and learn to have faith that humanity will start again and potentially regain all it has lost. I have to say I personally fail to see what a sequel would provide in terms of storyline. Over all I thought this book was a very well written, rich and compelling view on how life carries on after the human race is devastated by something outside of it's control, the impact this has on those who survive and the different ways in which humans find solace after tragedy be it through art, music, religion or preserving the past.

[Jennifer]

I finished a few days ago and was so buried in snow, I didn't have a chance to write my thoughts. It also gave me the chance to think things over a bit.

I like how the story concluded, how many of the characters came together at the end, although I would have liked to see Jeevan have some more involvement with the others. In the end, I felt bad for the prophet. I think he was trying to process the loss of the world, just as everyone else was. I feel that so many failed him that he was bound to be off.

I still think the complete collapse of modern knowledge was a major flaw of the book. There wasn't a good explanation as to why it took 20 years for anyone to turn on some lights. People are far too innovative for someone to have not figured more out; after all, the tools and infrastructure were in place, they just needed some tweaking to get up and running again. Because the focus of the book was more on character development than action, this flaw didn't ruin the book, just knocked a star off.

[Meg]

Victoria I agree with you about a sequel. I really wanted one when I finished the book, but I think that this might be one of those cases where you are better off left wanting more, rather than having everything answered.
That said, I felt like Jennifer, that the Jeevan story was missing something to tie it up.

[Laura]

Two things stood out to me after finishing the book - the fact that after 20 years, the novel ended with a glimmer of hope in the form of a grid of electricity in a town far away, viewable from the airport tower. I also really liked the fact that Arthur was able to reach out to his son right before the flu claimed his life. I didn't think it would happen - I thought for sure it would be a case of Arthur just missing Tyler, or Elizabeth not letting Arthur talk to his son, but it happened and that made the book so much more satisfying for me.

As for the world's collapse - I guess I don't see it being too far-fetched, but I do not normally read post-apocalyptic books, so maybe I'm naive...but if 99% of the world is gone, it seems reasonable that it would take several years for the survivors to simply survive, find one another, and create some semblance of community before attempting to get the world running as it was before the flu. Maybe 20 years is too long, but in my mind there were likely places in the world where things were starting to function, but without airplanes, cars, internet, etc., the people in our story wouldn't have known about any of it.

I agree with Jennifer and Meg about Jeevan. I liked his character and was hoping he'd end up with the others.

[Cassandra]

I thought that the lack of technology was a design flaw until I remembered that somewhere they actually estimated the mortality rate at 99.99%. That .99% actually makes a huge difference. If 99% die, that leaves roughly 30,000 people in the United States alive. If it's 99.99%, then only 3,000 people. The US is a BIG country and I don't know if there were enough people at the beginning to get anything working again. Jeevan was the only "doctor" for 100 miles, I think it said, and he isn't even a doctor. What are the chances of enough people being engineers in the same place to get the lights turned back on? So maybe it's not as implausible as I originally thought. It sounded like toward the end of the 20 years, people started grouping up more. The population in the airport more than doubled in that time, and it's likely that the town with the lights on is at least as big.

I liked that the book ended where it did, and I actually hope there isn't a sequel. I like some ambiguity in the ending of a book like this.

Overall, I was really happy with this book and the way it wove so many character's stories together. I'm glad this was chosen as the group read, because I wouldn't have read it otherwise!

[Barbara]

I have just finished the book and liked it very much. It makes me think how much I take safety and comfort for granted. And how much I do not want to loose it...

[Kathryn]

"I knew it" was a common thought I had when finishing this book. Mandel did an excellent job of tying up the "six degrees of Arthur Leander" situation. I think 9.Station Eleven is a perfect "book end", and provided me with a familiar yet unfamiliar, final perspective taking me back to where the book began. I agree with Jennifer and Meg, I would have liked Jeevan to be more tied in to the rest of the story.

One final random thought: For some reason, with everything that should have been haunting and disturbing about this book, I couldn't stop focusing on that Air Gradia jet. What happened in those final hours and what it was like inside 20 years later. Weird right?

[Kathryn]

Meg, I agree with you 100%, The Terminal was by far my favorite book.

[Kara]

Kathryn wrote: "One final random thought: For some reason, with everything that should have been haunting and disturbing about this book, I couldn't stop focusing on that Air Gradia jet. What happened in those final hours and what it was like inside 20 years later. Weird right?"

I'm SO with you on this. I thought the Air Gradia part was the most haunting in the whole book. I bet what happened would make a great short story.

[Meg]

Kara wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "One final random thought: For some reason, with everything that should have been haunting and disturbing about this book, I couldn't stop focusing on that Air Gradia jet. What happe..."

Good point! I didn't get why nobody got out.

[Kathryn]

Kara, you are absolutely right. That would make a fantastic short story.

[Karina]

Let's hope the author is in the mood for writing tie-in novella things. We need the Air Gradia story!

As for the novel - I found it an enjoyable, fast read, but not really much to chew on. Like Victoria, I feel unhappy without a larger, overarching plot. That said, I really appreciated uncovering all the little events and details connecting everything.

I'd recommend Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower for a similar "What humans do when civilization is ending"-setting (Though it's considerably darker than Station Eleven).

[Meg]

Karina wrote: "I'd recommend Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower for a similar "What humans do when civilization is ending"-setting (Though it's considerably darker than Station Eleven). ..."
I've been wanting to read that one for a while - but my library doesn't have it! I might need to buy my own copy.

[Karen]

I loved how this book ended! There was just enough left for individual thought that I feel a sequel is not necessary. Although I agree with the Air Gradia short story idea!
From comments in previous sections, I figured that the prophet would be Arthur's son, but I thought how Kirsten and him were the only two to have a Station Eleven connection was a good way to end his storyline.
I wish Jeevan ended up at the airport, but I'm extremely glad that he lived and was able to settle happily.