John Mandel, Pan Macmillan It is always a big deal when Emily St. John Mandel, the much-feted author of Station Eleven and Sea of Tranquillity, has a new novel out, and her latest doesn’t disappoint. Exit Party is a parallel-universe story that flits backwards and forwards in time, from character to character, and eventually between worlds.
It is as elegant and brilliantly executed as her fans have grown to expect, a book where every detail matters. I will give only the general set-up in this review, so no need to fear spoilers. We begin in California, 2031.
The US has been torn apart by war, but the curfew in Los Angeles has just been lifted. Our main protagonist, Ari, and her roommate Gloria plan to go to a party. (I read this very early section a few times before sticking with it, so if you find yourself in the same situation, know that it’s worth pushing on.) The best new science-fiction books of September 2026 Ari has just spent 20 years in prison for taking out a hit on someone, and she is very keen to party, but Gloria is reluctant to leave home when it comes to it. She shows signs of PTSD and mentions another party where a bomb went off.
Eventually the two get to the party, and find the house full of flowers and the host, Kareem, warm and welcoming. At first, everything feels magical and exciting, but later something goes badly wrong, in ways that will take years for Ari to unravel. Yes, there are too many people at the party.
At one point, Ari realises a woman is there in two completely different outfits; are they twins? The next day, Kareem is missing, having vanished entirely. Exit Party is as elegant and brilliantly executed as fans have grown to expect Exit Party‘s structure is unusual, playing with time and points of view as your understanding of what is really going on deepens.
John Mandel’s plotting skills and ability to build character quickly mean that the book never loses its dramatic intensity and forward propulsion as we make our leaps in time and viewpoint. Thinking over the book, once I had finished it, I was struck by how much St. John Mandel was able to explore through her two-worlds structure, in what isn’t a long book.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
