In 2014, author released her fourth novel to instant acclaim. Since then, has become one of the most successful and popular novels of the 21st century so far. A National Book Award Finalist and winner of Britain's prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award, it has been translated into 33 languages and sold over one million copies. Set in a future North America where a deadly flu wipes out 99% of the population, this post-apocalyptic saga focuses on several survivors as they struggle to find meaning and beauty again. Station Eleven is certainly a different listening experience today, in a pandemic-stricken world, than it was when it was first released, less than a decade ago.
In 2022, listeners cannot help but identify with parts of the novel, where a highly contagious virus frightens and isolates nearly everyone around the world, as countless people worry if they'll get sick too and wonder what will become of civilization after it is ravaged. Station Eleven is also a gorgeously crafted story full of love and hope, acclaimed by critics and embraced by listeners. And now fans can rejoice because the HBO Max adaptation of the book has arrived, bringing the beloved story to the small screen in a big way.
Whether you are a huge fan of the novel or looking for more information about the TV miniseries before you jump in, here's the scoop on the world of Station Eleven.
Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Station Eleven.
What is Station Eleven about?
Yes, Station Eleven is a dark and tragic work about a flu that terrifies and ultimately kills the vast majority of the global population. What it’s really about, however, is people and our connection with one another. The novel follows several characters, focusing on what happens after the worst happens when no one was ready for it. It also lets listeners in on the earlier, pre-pandemic lives of some of these characters, which often intersect in surprising ways.
For starters, there's the famous actor who coincidentally dies onstage of a heart attack during a production of King Lear in Toronto around the time news of the pandemic begins to spread. There's a young woman who was onstage that night, who is now a member of The Traveling Symphony, a small theater group that roams the country, putting on performances for small groups of survivors, in an effort to keep art and beauty alive. There's a dangerous prophet, whose unhinged ideas about the pandemic and religion garner him a cult following. There's a talented artist—an ex-wife of the deceased actor—whose lifelong art project, the comic , is central to the plot and gives the novel its name. There's the journalist-turned-EMT who tried and failed to save the actor on stage. And there's the best friend of the deceased actor, who now lives in an abandoned airport with several hundred other people, curating the Museum of Civilization.
