SEA OF TRANQUILITY

by Emily St. John Mandel

MINI REVIEW

I truly believe that Emily St. John Mandel is well on her way to Margaret Atwood status in terms of Canadian authors we (yes, I’m Canadian-ish now) delight in bragging about. My only caveat to demanding that you run out and buy this book and then read it immediately is that if time travel annoys or confuses you, maybe give this a pass.  Set, well, all over time and space, Sea of Tranquility follows several men and women who are searching for answers in worlds that demand acceptance of the status quo. Mandel has imagined lunar colonies, and even some further out into space, as places of escape when the earth’s resources become too scarce and pandemics too fierce. Her ultimate question is whether one good deed is worth doing if it disrupts everyone else's “planned” timelines. I honestly can't get over how clever this book is, and it is my top recommendation from my COVID binge. (Lily)