octygon's review against another edition
3.0
This was a really different book. Set in the near future, after a disease has killed off the majority of the world's population, it is a quiet and more contemplative book that I expected. It is really about how people, individually and as a society, can rebound from such a horrific blow. How do we build new relationships and start to look more toward the future, and try to stop regretting what we have lost? There were some eye-rolling moments of amazing coincidences, but I still enjoyed it. I listened to the audiobook on my commute. The narrator was terrific, and I feel that's saying something for a book that alternates between various points of view. She does a great job giving different tones to the separate characters.
siclarke's review against another edition
5.0
What comes after the pandemic?
It's not just a question I keep asking myself, it's also the central idea of Mike Chen's latest novel. Moira, Rob, and Krista all have their secrets. They've all done things they're not proud of in order to get by. They've all faced more than their fair share of trauma. And they've survived.
Most post-pandemic / post-apocalyptic fiction deals with a world wherein at least 99% of the population has been wiped out. Where survivors search for days, months, or even years before they discover anyone else who's made it. In this story, around 70% of the population has been lost. Much of society has been rebuilt in a fashion similar to Before.
In a way, humanity is already living in a post-apocalyptic era. In the fourteenth century, the Black Death wiped out half of Europe. Our ancestors were the survivors. They rose from the ashes of what was left behind and created the world all over again – more or less the way it was before.
Anyway, this is a fascinating character study. No villains. No heroes. Just real people doing what they have to – or what they think they have to – to get by.
It's not just a question I keep asking myself, it's also the central idea of Mike Chen's latest novel. Moira, Rob, and Krista all have their secrets. They've all done things they're not proud of in order to get by. They've all faced more than their fair share of trauma. And they've survived.
Most post-pandemic / post-apocalyptic fiction deals with a world wherein at least 99% of the population has been wiped out. Where survivors search for days, months, or even years before they discover anyone else who's made it. In this story, around 70% of the population has been lost. Much of society has been rebuilt in a fashion similar to Before.
In a way, humanity is already living in a post-apocalyptic era. In the fourteenth century, the Black Death wiped out half of Europe. Our ancestors were the survivors. They rose from the ashes of what was left behind and created the world all over again – more or less the way it was before.
Anyway, this is a fascinating character study. No villains. No heroes. Just real people doing what they have to – or what they think they have to – to get by.
trike's review
2.0
This takes place after a global pandemic has wiped out 70% of the global population. It was realessed in January 2020, which means the publisher had it at least a year earlier. Prescient! The accuracy of the smaller details about mandatory masks, social distancing, people not believing the government about the vaccine, the rise of deadlier variants, is kind of amazing. So why the 2 stars? Because he fumbles the ending.
This is more of a character study, which was true of his timecop book I read a couple years ago. I’m good with that. I loved [b:Station Eleven|20170404|Station Eleven|Emily St. John Mandel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1451446835l/20170404._SX50_SY75_.jpg|28098716], after all.
Things started going pear-shaped in the story around the 3/4 mark when it was clear Chen was doing a pandemic version of Sleepless In Seattle. In that movie, 10-year-old Jonah flies from Seattle to NYC in order to get his dad a new wife. Here, One of the possible romantic partners in SiS is an interior designer. Here it’s a wedding planner. And so forth.
The entire book is building up to a conversation dad has to have with daughter, and just as we’re about to get that, Chen cuts to an irrelevant scene. There are numerous false starts at this talk, there are pages and chapters devoted to the adults arguing about it, their lives are put in danger because of it; it is the beating heart of the conflict. He completely choked on the one thing he promised to deliver. Thus the two stars. Bummer.
This is more of a character study, which was true of his timecop book I read a couple years ago. I’m good with that. I loved [b:Station Eleven|20170404|Station Eleven|Emily St. John Mandel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1451446835l/20170404._SX50_SY75_.jpg|28098716], after all.
Things started going pear-shaped in the story around the 3/4 mark when it was clear Chen was doing a pandemic version of Sleepless In Seattle. In that movie, 10-year-old Jonah flies from Seattle to NYC in order to get his dad a new wife. Here,
Spoiler
7-year-old Sunny gets on a bus to Seattle in order to find her mom to reunite her with her dad. Except Sunny doesn’t know her mom is dead.The entire book is building up to a conversation dad has to have with daughter, and just as we’re about to get that, Chen cuts to an irrelevant scene. There are numerous false starts at this talk, there are pages and chapters devoted to the adults arguing about it, their lives are put in danger because of it; it is the beating heart of the conflict. He completely choked on the one thing he promised to deliver. Thus the two stars. Bummer.
alexiachantel's review against another edition
4.0
In the acknowledgements Chen mentions that he wrote the first draft of this book in 2011 and it released in January of 2020, which means he'd have had it turned in to his editor—hands off—sometime in 2019...so basically Mike Chen owned or did own a crystal ball back in 2011.
This is about our society after a devastating flu epidemic wiped out most of the world's population and the survivors had to survive quarantine in various large complexes like malls or prisons. It's emotional, it's sad, and it's so very close to our reality.
There's not exactly a villain, unless you count the flu virus. And the story has a little action, but it's mostly real life, real struggles, and how do you move forward and make decisions.
The overall message is actually one we need right now: have hope, cherish those you count as family, and continue to love because love can heal your soul.
This is about our society after a devastating flu epidemic wiped out most of the world's population and the survivors had to survive quarantine in various large complexes like malls or prisons. It's emotional, it's sad, and it's so very close to our reality.
There's not exactly a villain, unless you count the flu virus. And the story has a little action, but it's mostly real life, real struggles, and how do you move forward and make decisions.
The overall message is actually one we need right now: have hope, cherish those you count as family, and continue to love because love can heal your soul.
genette's review against another edition
4.0
4.25. The audiobook was excellent. I really liked the family dynamics, the different POVs, & the fact I found this book while quarantined.
The romance was a bit meh, but I think that's a personal preference issue. What actually got under my skin was a single piece of information we were repeatedly hit over the head with. Other than those two things, no complaints.
The romance was a bit meh, but I think that's a personal preference issue. What actually got under my skin was a single piece of information we were repeatedly hit over the head with. Other than those two things, no complaints.
shanlyz's review against another edition
DNF @ 111/391. I don’t know what’s going on here....
g2pro's review against another edition
3.0
This book does not come close to his first book "Here and Now and Then" which I still think about to this day.
trout_lily's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Story about three individuals linked, but not friends or family, each with backstories of loss and and reinvention after a plague ravages the world. I liked all the characters and how their relationships developed toward a common purpose and towards friendship and love. It's set in post apocalyptic SF and then in Seattle. Unfortunately, it really suffered from a lack of world building. SF and Seattle seemed fuzzy to me as well as the society working to stay alive and rebuilding itself . I am from SF and I needed more distinct descriptions about that iconic city itself as that moment not to mention the West Coast of the US overall. This made me feel rather meh about their circumstances. I was detached from the overall apocalyptic situation situation and I didn't sense any urgency regarding the plot, nor any excitement about future for the future of these characters and their newly found sense of family or new beginning. This his first novel and I hope there are more. I would like to see the author craft a more layered world for the characters.
Reading Progress
bookaneer's review against another edition
DNF @45%. It might be because I am in a reading slump/burnout/whatever but this one failed to keep my attention. Interesting set up for a world recovering from a pandemic that killed more than five billion people, but I guess I need more exciting plot and characters for me to continue. I just could not handle more 250 pages/6 hours listening. At least I tried.
PS: My second DNF this month. Gosh I hope my other current read is much better.
PS: My second DNF this month. Gosh I hope my other current read is much better.