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A review by readwithbells
Severance by Ling Ma
3.5
A remarkably forward-thinking apocalypse book about a plague that is triggered by or flourishes within nostalgic memories. We follow Candace through a few timelines, one where she becomes the only person working in her company, one where she is caught up in a power-hungry group post-pandemmy, and interspersed with pieces of her childhood and her parent’s lives.
I think this book is well-written and 100% accomplishes what it set out to do, I just prefer books I get more emotionally attached to and this one really kept me at arm’s length. To people who liked Leave the World Behind or Kazuo Ishiguro’s When We Were Orphans, Severance would be a good comp title. It was just too meandering for me, with a through-line caught up in the flow of memories instead of character arc, which is my personal preference. I’m glad I read it though!
I think this book is well-written and 100% accomplishes what it set out to do, I just prefer books I get more emotionally attached to and this one really kept me at arm’s length. To people who liked Leave the World Behind or Kazuo Ishiguro’s When We Were Orphans, Severance would be a good comp title. It was just too meandering for me, with a through-line caught up in the flow of memories instead of character arc, which is my personal preference. I’m glad I read it though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Racism and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide and Death of parent
Brief but graphic mention of maggots in an open wound