Emily St. John Mandel finds acclaim with fourth novel

Author Emily St. John Mandel isn't one to write in a straight line.

'I have always written non-linear narratives with multiple points of view, and have always made an effort to balance literary style with plot, as in, I want my books to have both,” Mandel says. 'All four of my novels are very similar in terms of structure and tone.”

Readers of any of her work - 'Last Night in Montreal,” 'The Singer's Gun,” 'The Lola Quartet” and, most recently, 'Station Eleven” - know that this approach is something that Mandel has mastered, pulling her readers into her stories in a nearly captivating way.

But the writing of 'Station Eleven,” published last year, took Mandel in an even more complex direction, taking on different content and scope than her earlier books, which could be categorized as literary noir or crime novels.

'My previous three books were much more focused stories, involving a small handful of people who'd become entangled in one another's lives, usually because of a crime,” she says. 'In terms of overall complexity, I think of the difference between my earlier works and ‘Station Eleven' as being something like the difference between a chamber music quartet and a full symphony orchestra.”

It seems the symphony orchestra has struck a chord with readers and critics alike. 'Station Eleven” has been called one of the best books of the year. It has been named a National Book Award Finalist and finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. It won the 2015 Arthur C. Clarke Award and The Morning News Tournament of Books.

'It's extraordinary,” Mandel says of the accolades. 'I am deeply grateful for all of the acclaim. It's helpful to one's confidence as a writer.”

'Station Eleven” explores a variety of ideas and emotions under the premise that the world as we know it no longer exists and that few people are left to watch what happens next.

' ‘Station Eleven' moves between two timelines: a period that's more or less the present day - you'll notice that the technology in these sections is identical to our current world; everyone's using iPhones - and a period that's explicitly defined as being 20 years after a flu pandemic. That timing was deliberate,” Mandel explains.

The story follows the travels of a wandering Shakespearean theater company in post-apocalyptic North America, navigating a world after the collapse of civilization thanks to the Georgia flu, which has wiped out 99 percent of the world's population. It follows a whole host of distinctive characters who are tied together through an intricately crafted plot.

'It's a novel about friendship, memory, love, celebrity, our obsession with objects, oppressive dinner parties, comic books and knife-throwing,” Mandel says.

Readers quickly gather that 'Station Eleven” is not your typical post-apocalyptic drama.

'Some people seem surprised that a novel can be post-apocalyptic but not a horror novel,” she says. 'They seem to enjoy the absence of zombies and cannibalism. I particularly liked writing these sections, imagining what the world would look like without very many people in it.”

Thanks to the book's success, Mandel - who was born in Canada but now lives in New York City - has been busy traveling the world to meet with readers.

She will be at Prairie Lights in Iowa City at 4 p.m. June 14.

As for her next project, Mandel says it's in the works but won't give any hints.

' ‘Station Eleven' has more or less taken over my life, but it's a temporary situation - the touring will have mostly stopped by the end of 2015 - and I'm working on the next book whenever I can. I like the feeling of being entirely immersed in the grand project of a novel, during the period before anyone else has read it, when it's a sort of private world.”

Meanwhile, readers are eagerly awaiting their invitation into that world.