A review by anarchist_al
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

adventurous challenging mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

An extremely disorienting read, but I suspect that was the point. Bouncing across time and space was difficult to get used to, but I did get used to the drastic switch in perspective and context eventually. The overall premise was very cool, and I think very well done. I love that the initial mystery is really a bait and switch. The characters all felt real and lived in. The settings were all gorgeous and very easy to picture, which can be difficult in a sci-fi futuristic context. I also found the character of Olive to be super compelling, and the autobiographical bits of her character were cool to see—St. John Mandel was clearly discussing her experience with Station Eleven and Covid-19. Really cool read, just a little hard to get into at first. 
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