Llewellyn, the author figure, is dismissive of that idea. The storylines in "Sea of Tranquility" reference one another even as they call back to Mandel’s previous work, coming together to provide an abundance of moments in which individual characters believe that this, now, here, must be the worst moment in the history of the world. This is a technique Mandel already practiced in "Station Eleven," but this book doesn’t feel like a cynical retread. "Sea of Tranquility" uses its innovative narrative structure to generate new insights into how humans relate in the midst of disease and tragedy. ‘There were all these strands, narratively speaking, all these characters, and I felt like I was waiting for them to connect, but they didn’t, ultimately.’” This is a playfully transparent sequence, doing little to hide its self-reference: Mandel’s 2014 pandemic novel, "Station Eleven" reached even higher fame this year with the release of an HBO series of the same name. “‘I was confused by your book,’ a woman in Dallas said. Then we jump again, to a section called “Last Book Tour on Earth,” in which a celebrated author, Olive Llewellyn, makes a long series of publicity stops in 2203, answering the same questions over and over about her famous pandemic novel. From there we jump to the year 2020 and the story of Mirella, whose husband killed himself after losing everything in a Ponzi scheme. In a forest near Vancouver, he encounters a strange man dressed as a priest with an unplaceable accent. We begin by following a young man across 1912 Canada after he’s been exiled by his family in England. It’s transporting and brilliant and generous, and I haven’t ever read anything quite like it. "Sea of Tranquility" is full of grandeur, but without even a whiff of grandiosity.
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