Doubles and a Divided Future: Mandel’s Exit Party and the End of Consensus
TL;DR Summary
Author Emily St John Mandel discusses Exit Party, a 2031 Los Angeles-set novel that toggles between two possible futures—a chaotic civil war and a surveillance state—where doubles and the “counter-life” shape how we imagine reality. She explains how real-world events influenced the timelines, her preference for speculative fiction to illuminate the present, and her process of writing without outlines. The interview also touches on her forays into television adaptations, and personal milestones including her divorce in 2022 and remarriage in 2025.
Topics:entertainment#alternative-realities#civil-war#culture#doubles#emily-st-john-mandel#exit-party
- Emily St John Mandel: ‘When half the electorate disagrees on basic reality, how do you come back from that?’ theguardian.com
- ‘Exit Party’ by Emily St. John Mandel | Book Review WSJ
- Emily St. John Mandel’s Latest Protagonist Has Haunted Eyes and a Strong Jaw The New York Times
- In new novel, Exit Party, Emily St. John Mandel imagines the bleak counterlife of America The Globe and Mail
- Emily St. John Mandel’s ‘Exit Party’ splits America in two — and both futures terrify STLtoday.com
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