Review: Exit Party

Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I can continue saying I love everything I've read from this author.

This was another beautiful story. Set a small jump into the future, we begin with a party that has too many people and finish once more with a strong desire to know more of this world.

Mandel has a special way of introducing a unique setting then focusing on how her characters interact with this setting. Once again, I loved getting to know these people and was desperate for any further morsels the author was willing to share. The characters intertwine so beautifully, and each story is its own precious moment.

The ideas in this book were beautiful, sad, tragic, heartwarming ... once again, a whole host of emotions that I was forced to feel and to continue mulling over now that the story has concluded.

Like all of Mandel's novels that I've read so far, this has some character overlap, though I didn't spot it so at least one re-read is in order. This overlap is one of my favourite things about her books, because it means when you're left yearning for more there IS more, in her other books.

Her writing style is candid, telling the story easily yet still evoking such incredible scenes. It's easy to digest what's happening and impossible to predict. There's plenty of symbolism, but some of it will really have you puzzling over what it means and if it does indeed mean anything at all.

This author's work is always hard to put into words, and while this story didn't grab me as intensely as some of her other work, I just really enjoyed the whole reading experience and how it made me feel. Definitely a stronger sense of this being a sci-fi story, but as always subtle and more focused on people than technology.

If you're a fan of her other work, this should be no different. Another wonderful story that will make you think and feel and yearn for more.

With thanks to Macmillan and NetGalley for an ARC

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