New novel imagines America torn apart by civil war and surveillance
Emily St John Mandel imagines two Americas: one torn by civil war, another ruled by surveillance.
Emily St John Mandel has written a dystopian novel called Exit Party that imagines two possible futures for the United States. In one world, set in spring 2031, America has collapsed after a coup d'etat.
Civil war, seceded states and cartels fight for power. In the other, citizens live under a surveillance state called the United State, where voting is abolished and the president will pass power to his son.
The novel follows ex-con Ari as she attends a party where reality begins to fracture: extra guests appear, two people double, and one vanishes. Mandel explores the idea that Americans already live in a kind of split reality, knowing and unknowing at the same time.
Both futures share a single refrain: no country lasts forever.
- Spring 2031
- First world setting
- New York
- Mandel location
- No country lasts forever
- Common refrain in both worlds
Why it mattersThe novel examines how quickly a nation can collapse and how people live through it.
AustraliaNo direct Australian effect. The book is an import and will be read by Australian book clubs and literary audiences interested in American politics and speculative fiction.
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