SMSA SMSA SMSA

Book Reviews

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

How to review this extraordinary book? You will find it in the Science Fiction section of the library/bookshop but that is misleading. Yes, the plot entails time travel, spanning time from 1912 to 2401, but that is not the essence of this book. What is the essence of this novel? That humans, no matter what century they live in, experience the same emotions, and that some decisions made, will reverberate through time.

The book is suffused with a sense of poignancy and melancholy. As it slips between its timelines the reader begins to see returning motifs: a maple tree in a forest; a violin player in a terminal; a quote from a book: ‘We knew it was coming’. How Mandel brings these parallel stories to a cohesive conclusion is surprising, and satisfying.

I highly recommend this book. Ignore the Science Fiction label; you won’t be disappointed!

Reviewed by Gaby Meares
Murder on a Monday Reading Group

Find this book in SMSA Library
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
Membership

When you join SMSA as member, you get a wide range of benefits.

Access to the SMSA Library

We are home to a unique collection of books, a highlight being our Mystery and Crime section.

Able to borrow from the Tom Keneally Centre

We are honoured to be the home of Tom Keneally’s personal collection of books, many of which have been used as research for his own works.

Access to member only events

Join a members group, share your passions, learn new skills, make new friends and get involved.

Access to member only activities such as members groups

We provide a variety of member only events, these are relaxed social occasions to have fun and make new friends.

Join as a Member

Subscribe to stay up-to-date

    `