Rating: 4.5/5
This one hit close to home for two reasons 1) post-apocalyptic vibes are similar to COVID-19, except way 100x worse (no internet, electrical grid, religious cults threatening to make young underage girls their wives…eek) 2) one of the main locations is literally near my home, in the city of Toronto (Ayee). The book skillfully zigzags through the connected storylines of a troubled celebrity, an aspiring paramedic, and a travelling theatrical troupe. All the character journeys are similar in their search for meaning and hope for a better future.
Insights/Thoughts
- The idea that we can get used to anything, regardless of how boring, unpleasant, painful something is; it becomes our new way of living. Like Jeevan in the story, he chose to live in the new world, start a family and be thankful for what he had. Alternatively, I also think about how we can become accustomed to bad behaviour, vices, and a dull life. I would argue that being grateful is just as important as being self-aware and striving to live a purposeful life.
- Upon reflecting, I see Mandel’s reason for embedding the caravan of theatre actors in the story. It represents art, the one force of inspiration and hope and expression that represents a living soul. In a world where everything you used to know is destroyed and erased, artistic expression is our way of holding onto humanity. I think that’s beautiful.
- There had always been a massive delicate infrastructure of people, all of them working unnoticed around us, and when people stop going to work, the entire operation grinds to a halt. Some people fear technology because of the belief that human intelligence will be superseded by robots. I think there is definitely great power in AI and machine learning but at least for the present, I don’t believe these technologies will thrive without the very human forces behind it. We need to learn to work with robots to live well in the technological age.
- “I suppose the question is, does knowing these things make them more or less happy?” Ignorance can be bliss especially if it does nothing to help the current situation. Education is a different reason to know more. I think it depends on why the person wants to find out more about a piece of information. Do they need closure? Are they just curious to know the history of the world? If you’re just looking to be happy, perhaps not knowing is a better option.
Favourite Quotes
Because survival is insufficient. There’s the death of the body, and there’s the death of the soul. Hell is the absence of the people you long for. First we only want to be seen, but once we’re seen, that’s not enough anymore. After that, we want to be remembered.