Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Picador (2019), Edition: Reprint, 304 pages
Description
Candace Chen, a millennial drone self-sequestered in a Manhattan office tower, is devoted to routine. With the recent passing of her Chinese immigrant parents, she's had her fill of uncertainty. She's content just to carry on: She goes to work, troubleshoots the teen-targeted Gemstone Bible, watches movies in a Greenpoint basement with her boyfriend. So Candace barely notices when a plague of biblical proportions sweeps New York. Then Shen Fever spreads. Families flee. Companies cease operations. The subways screech to a halt. Her bosses enlist her as part of a dwindling skeleton crew with a big end-date payoff. Soon entirely alone, still unfevered, she photographs the eerie, abandoned city as the anonymous blogger NY Ghost. Candace won't be able to make it on her own forever, though. Enter a group of survivors, led by the power-hungry IT tech Bob. They're traveling to a place called the Facility, where, Bob promises, they will have everything they need to start society anew. But Candace is carrying a secret she knows Bob will exploit. Should she escape from her rescuers? A send-up and takedown of the rituals, routines, and missed opportunities of contemporary life, Ling Ma's Severance is a moving family story, a quirky coming-of-adulthood tale, and a hilarious, deadpan satire. Most important, it's a heartfelt tribute to the connections that drive us to do more than survive.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member chrisblocker
Severance is one of those stories that is hard to nail down. It's largely post-apocalyptic, yet it has a very contemporary feel to it. It's dark and yet it's darkly comic. It's painted as a straight-forward dystopian tale, yet it may be an allegory for the way we live. It's meandering while
For all the positive things I can say about this novel, I think the reason I'm also ambivalent toward it is due to the unevenness of the book. Perhaps there is some filler where there should have been more character development. I didn't really feel invested in these characters, and some of them were little more than tropes. When dealing with characters who are facing life and death, it's important for a reader to believe in what's at stake. For the most part, I didn't. The purpose of these characters was largely to move the plot forward.
Where the novel succeeds, however, is in its world building and its larger story. The parallels that are drawn between the capitalist world of Candance's past with that of her plague-infested present are brilliant. The pandemic that sweeps the world in Severance causes its victims to repeat menial tasks without thought. This continues until they finally expire. Thus an avid reader may turn the pages of her favorite book without reading a word for days. A taxi driver may drive his same route, even picking up passengers, but all without a thought or care, day and night, until his body just gives out. And that's where this story wonderfully elicits questions of how allegorical this whole story is.
My opinion of this slim novel swayed throughout. I really liked parts of it—thought it was brilliant at times. Other parts were just a bit too unsophisticated. In the end, I guess I feel so-so about it. It certainly didn't help that the final third of this novel came across as rushed and formulaic. This was the part of the story where I felt any decent author of dystopian fiction could've stepped in and done an equally commendable job. It's an ending that should satisfy readers of the genre looking for a piece of action that is familiar, but as a reader looking for something original or thought-provoking, I felt it was a let down.
Severance is an easy read and one that I would recommend to readers of dystopian fiction. Other readers could probably adopt a take-it-or-leave-it attitude toward this one and be fine.
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focused. It's terrifying, it's sleep inducing. It's great and it's really not all that good.For all the positive things I can say about this novel, I think the reason I'm also ambivalent toward it is due to the unevenness of the book. Perhaps there is some filler where there should have been more character development. I didn't really feel invested in these characters, and some of them were little more than tropes. When dealing with characters who are facing life and death, it's important for a reader to believe in what's at stake. For the most part, I didn't. The purpose of these characters was largely to move the plot forward.
Where the novel succeeds, however, is in its world building and its larger story. The parallels that are drawn between the capitalist world of Candance's past with that of her plague-infested present are brilliant. The pandemic that sweeps the world in Severance causes its victims to repeat menial tasks without thought. This continues until they finally expire. Thus an avid reader may turn the pages of her favorite book without reading a word for days. A taxi driver may drive his same route, even picking up passengers, but all without a thought or care, day and night, until his body just gives out. And that's where this story wonderfully elicits questions of how allegorical this whole story is.
My opinion of this slim novel swayed throughout. I really liked parts of it—thought it was brilliant at times. Other parts were just a bit too unsophisticated. In the end, I guess I feel so-so about it. It certainly didn't help that the final third of this novel came across as rushed and formulaic. This was the part of the story where I felt any decent author of dystopian fiction could've stepped in and done an equally commendable job. It's an ending that should satisfy readers of the genre looking for a piece of action that is familiar, but as a reader looking for something original or thought-provoking, I felt it was a let down.
Severance is an easy read and one that I would recommend to readers of dystopian fiction. Other readers could probably adopt a take-it-or-leave-it attitude toward this one and be fine.
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LibraryThing member gbill
Part Chinese immigrant story, part the reality of the modern workplace, and part dystopian apocalypse. I don’t think Severance breaks a lot of new ground in any one of those areas, but the combination is intriguing, as is the writing of Ling Ma. Through her main character Candace Chen, we see a
Just this quote:
“The Russian told them an anecdote about the film director Andrei Tarkovsky. Upon seeing Utah for the first time, Tarkovsky remarked than now he knew Americans were vulgar because they filmed westerns in a place that should only serve as a backdrop to films about God.”
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sophisticated, feminine, and youthful yet somewhat world-weary voice. In the story of her family, we see the transition from her parents’ worldview to her own, as well as her dealing with her father’s death. In the story of her work, we see program management in the era of globalization, a glimpse of office politics, and working dutifully and hard, long after others have gone. In her personal life, we get lots of references to beauty products and clothing, relationships, and some incredibly honest and well-written bits of sex. And in the dystopia she finds herself in, we see a tale of survival and struggle against being subordinated in a group led by a paternalistic, religious guy who grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, which is perhaps symbolic. It’s both entertaining and intelligent, and would make a good movie.Just this quote:
“The Russian told them an anecdote about the film director Andrei Tarkovsky. Upon seeing Utah for the first time, Tarkovsky remarked than now he knew Americans were vulgar because they filmed westerns in a place that should only serve as a backdrop to films about God.”
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LibraryThing member being_b
Dreary and unoriginal. Modern life and capitalism are alienating and deadening, immigration can be self-alienating, male/female relationships can be alienating and objectifying, and ooh look it's all illustrated by a disease that is really just a shallowly explored metaphor.
LibraryThing member cygnoir
I was immediately engrossed in this satirical takedown of office culture, labor outsourcing, and the routines we use to establish our identities. The tone is similar to Ishiguro's 'Never Let Me Go' or Atwood's 'The Year of the Flood', so if you enjoyed those, try this. It floored me in the best way.
LibraryThing member bleached
I normally love a good satire, especially one involving an apocalypse, but I was disappointed by Severance. It felt as though it had so much potential, however, it was missed. The story dragged and the characters felt underdeveloped.
LibraryThing member KatyBee
Extremely well written and deserving of the recognition it has received - for readers of literary, post-apocalyptic fiction. It's about consumerism, immigration, survival, growing up in the 80's, a worst-case and devastating epidemic scenario, and also about just getting up and repeating routines
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each day. A fresh take on the meaning of work, on living in an urban environment, and on imagining a country full of zombies. Show Less
LibraryThing member RealLifeReading
What exactly was I expecting from this book? Yet another dystopian tale. And yes there was that (this thing called Shen Fever has affected the world) but there was also so much more. There was a story about immigrants - a couple from Fujian province who leave their young daughter to be raised by
But also I was intrigued by how this woman continues to work at her job in New York City as the world crumbles around her.
And the unusual epidemic, in which the “fevered” go through the motions of their daily lives over and over. For instance, a woman sets the table and her family raises their utensils to “eat” then she clears the table and it all begins again. And yet there are subtle differences with each repetition.
There is a kind of coldness to the book and yet it is irresistible and I am drawn to this woman and the cult of sorts she finds herself in.
A strange and intriguing read.
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grandparents while they try to find a better life in the US, bringing her over only a few years later. I was excited - Fujian province, that’s where some of my family is from! But also I was intrigued by how this woman continues to work at her job in New York City as the world crumbles around her.
And the unusual epidemic, in which the “fevered” go through the motions of their daily lives over and over. For instance, a woman sets the table and her family raises their utensils to “eat” then she clears the table and it all begins again. And yet there are subtle differences with each repetition.
There is a kind of coldness to the book and yet it is irresistible and I am drawn to this woman and the cult of sorts she finds herself in.
A strange and intriguing read.
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LibraryThing member RidgewayGirl
Not long ago, I decided that the genres of romance and dystopian lit don't mesh very well. Now, I'm here to say that dystopian lit meshes superbly with literary fiction, with this book being my sole example.
Candace is a young woman living in New York. She shares an apartment with a friend, throwing
Ma writes so engagingly about Candace, a woman who prefers to have things happen to her than to take decisive action. Her job's not great, but it's not bad. Her boyfriend isn't perfect, but he's not terrible. When Shen Fever reaches New York, she keeps going into her job in Manhattan. Once bus service ends, she stays in an empty office and continues to send emails to China, and filing status reports, despite the rapidly diminishing number of people coming in to work. Long after she's the last one working, she finally leaves New York and finds a small group to travel with. The group's leader wants to be some kind of cult leader, but no one really takes him seriously, or at least Candace doesn't.
What made this novel work is that all of it was so interesting. Ma makes Candace's memories of growing up in Salt Lake City and of being generally aimless in New York as fascinating as life in the cult, traveling across the depopulated US, stopping now and then to "go stalking," which is to say, breaking into people's houses and stealing stuff. As the group becomes more restrictive, Candace awakens to the fact that she will have to take decisive action if she wants to survive.
Candace is a young woman living in New York. She shares an apartment with a friend, throwing
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parties and filling her blog, NY Ghost, with pictures of the city she is growing to love. She's met a guy she likes and eventually finds a job at a publishing company, supervising the printing of various Bibles, which involves her going on business trips to China, the country she emigrated from when she was six years old and her father received a grant to get his doctorate at a university in Utah. Ma writes so engagingly about Candace, a woman who prefers to have things happen to her than to take decisive action. Her job's not great, but it's not bad. Her boyfriend isn't perfect, but he's not terrible. When Shen Fever reaches New York, she keeps going into her job in Manhattan. Once bus service ends, she stays in an empty office and continues to send emails to China, and filing status reports, despite the rapidly diminishing number of people coming in to work. Long after she's the last one working, she finally leaves New York and finds a small group to travel with. The group's leader wants to be some kind of cult leader, but no one really takes him seriously, or at least Candace doesn't.
What made this novel work is that all of it was so interesting. Ma makes Candace's memories of growing up in Salt Lake City and of being generally aimless in New York as fascinating as life in the cult, traveling across the depopulated US, stopping now and then to "go stalking," which is to say, breaking into people's houses and stealing stuff. As the group becomes more restrictive, Candace awakens to the fact that she will have to take decisive action if she wants to survive.
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LibraryThing member bookworm12
This is technically a post-apocalyptic book, but the Shen fever that leaves much of the world dead or incapacitated is hardly the point. Candace is the millennial daughter of Chinese immigrants. Her experience both before the outbreak and after reflects on immigration, consumerism, social
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connection, and so much more. She is oddly detached, but the writing is so enthralling it’s hard to look away. Show Less
LibraryThing member bragan
Candace Chen is a young Chinese-American working a job she isn't happy about and dating a guy who's not going to stick around. She's also one of the last people to leave New York City when it's essentially wiped out by a plague that causes people to go into a permanent zombie-like state in which
This is a blend of literary fiction and post-apocalyptic story that I think is much more calculated to appeal to the litfic readers than the post-apocalypse fans, but as someone who enjoys both, I found it quite satisfying. It feels like it's reflecting on -- or maybe just plain reflecting -- a lot of the realities of modern life and human nature in a really interesting way.
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they endlessly go through the rote motions of tasks they performed in life.This is a blend of literary fiction and post-apocalyptic story that I think is much more calculated to appeal to the litfic readers than the post-apocalypse fans, but as someone who enjoys both, I found it quite satisfying. It feels like it's reflecting on -- or maybe just plain reflecting -- a lot of the realities of modern life and human nature in a really interesting way.
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LibraryThing member ASKelmore
Best for:
Those who enjoy novels that move around in time. Those who liked Station Eleven.
In a nutshell:
The fever has taken over the world. Candace has survived it, and is now traveling with other survivors. Through chapters alternating in the past and present, we learn what Candace’s life (and
Worth quoting:
“It made me wistful for the illusion of New York more than for its actuality, after having lived there for five years.”
Why I chose it:
I saw it in a few book stores and kept picking it up. Finally had to go for it.
Review:
This is a situation where I don’t want to give away too much, because I think the less you know, the more interesting the book is. I accidentally glanced at just a bit of one Cannonballer’s review in my feed and while they didn’t spoil anything, I think something they mentioned did take away from my reading of it because I couldn’t get it out of my head. So I suggest that, if you’re at all interested in reading this book, you just pick it up and read it.
The book looks at so many big ideas — capitalism, immigration, survivalism, urban living — but also smaller, relatable intimacies, such as competition at work, relationships (romantic, platonic, familial), daily life choices. Her boyfriend Jonathan starts out as a mildly interesting character, but I found Candace’s evolution of her view of him to be relatable and more interesting that Jonathan himself.
I like the style of going back and forth in time - I’m not sure this book would be as compelling were it told in a straightforward manner. But at the same time, author Ma is a talented writer, able to create a vivid picture without flowery or overly-descriptive language. I have a strong idea of what the manufacturing plant in China looks like, the hotel, Candace’s New York apartments, her office. I did live in New York for many years, so I think that may have increased my enjoyment of the book a bit, but if it were set in another major city I’m sure I would have devoured it all the same (in any case, I started this book on a Wednesday and finished it Thursday evening, and worked both of those days).
Keep it / Pass to a Friend / Donate it / Toss it:
Pass to a Friend. One has already called dibs, in fact.
Those who enjoy novels that move around in time. Those who liked Station Eleven.
In a nutshell:
The fever has taken over the world. Candace has survived it, and is now traveling with other survivors. Through chapters alternating in the past and present, we learn what Candace’s life (and
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the life of her immigrant parents) was like, and is like now.Worth quoting:
“It made me wistful for the illusion of New York more than for its actuality, after having lived there for five years.”
Why I chose it:
I saw it in a few book stores and kept picking it up. Finally had to go for it.
Review:
This is a situation where I don’t want to give away too much, because I think the less you know, the more interesting the book is. I accidentally glanced at just a bit of one Cannonballer’s review in my feed and while they didn’t spoil anything, I think something they mentioned did take away from my reading of it because I couldn’t get it out of my head. So I suggest that, if you’re at all interested in reading this book, you just pick it up and read it.
The book looks at so many big ideas — capitalism, immigration, survivalism, urban living — but also smaller, relatable intimacies, such as competition at work, relationships (romantic, platonic, familial), daily life choices. Her boyfriend Jonathan starts out as a mildly interesting character, but I found Candace’s evolution of her view of him to be relatable and more interesting that Jonathan himself.
I like the style of going back and forth in time - I’m not sure this book would be as compelling were it told in a straightforward manner. But at the same time, author Ma is a talented writer, able to create a vivid picture without flowery or overly-descriptive language. I have a strong idea of what the manufacturing plant in China looks like, the hotel, Candace’s New York apartments, her office. I did live in New York for many years, so I think that may have increased my enjoyment of the book a bit, but if it were set in another major city I’m sure I would have devoured it all the same (in any case, I started this book on a Wednesday and finished it Thursday evening, and worked both of those days).
Keep it / Pass to a Friend / Donate it / Toss it:
Pass to a Friend. One has already called dibs, in fact.
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LibraryThing member booklove2
Picture that scene on the incomparable show 'Community' when Jeff Winger is typing on his Blackberry as a zombie, and that scene is this book. A fungus is creating the "fevered" who go through the motions of what they did before they were fevered. Though the fevered seem zombie-like, they aren't
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actually zombies, they aren't attacking people, but that doesn't make the situation less haunting. Within this intriguing scenario, is Candace, a girl who moved to America from China as a child. Now she works on the 32nd floor in an office in Times Square as a product manager, mainly getting bibles made. I love those character-in-solitude type of books. Then throw in an apocalyptic scenario and I'm all in. Some might say there is too much detail here, but I love those sorts of small details. And because this is a book about nostalgia and memory, maybe those small details are intentional. Aren't most memories and nostalgia based on those small details? The story keeps flipping between Candace's early life, as things are falling apart, and what happens shortly after when there are barely any non-fevered left. I thought Ling Ma was able to balance all three of these "time lines" seamlessly and I was never bored with any of it. Her sentences are full of life. Candace is such a lovely, fully formed character. The book far exceeded what I expected from the description, what I thought the description would be capable of. I'll read anything Ling Ma writes. The non-fevered characters "stalk" houses and buildings for supplies which could only remind me of 'Roadside Picnic' by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. (Tarkovsky is actually mentioned in the book and he also directed the movie 'Stalker' so possibly I'm not imagining things here, though many books have been reminding me of Roadside Picnic lately.) Severance is also very similar to another awesome book this year 'The Book of M' by Peng Shepherd that involves memory in a disintegrating world. Show Less
LibraryThing member mcelhra
I discover many great reads from listening to the New York Times Book Review podcast. I picked up Severance after hearing the host and NYT Book Review editor Pamela Paul, talk about it during the segment where she and other reviewers talk about what they are currently reading. I put it on hold
This book was published in 2018, making the similarities to today quite eerie. It’s a good thing I’m not a conspiracy theorist. A fungal infection out of China called the Shen Fever is sweeping the world. As the fever spreads in the US, the government becomes less forthcoming with the information about the death toll. People are urged to wear masks but not everyone does. Tourists continue to come to New York as the fever spreads. The New York Times prints the names of the dead on its homepage. I could go on.
A person infected with Shen Fever performs the same mundane task over and over until they die. For instance, Candace observes a fevered woman working at an abandoned Juicy Couture store folding sweatpants over and over. She has been there doing that for so long that half her jaw has rotted off.
Candace Chen is one of the last people to leave New York. Before the fever takes over, she works at a publishing company in the Bible division, with basically the same routine every day. She keeps coming into work long after her coworkers have left both their jobs and the city. When she does finally quit, she joins a group of survivors on their way to a place their leader calls The Facility, where they can start a new society.
Candace’s journey with them is only part of her story. She immigrated to the US from China as a child. Growing up the daughter of immigrants has always set her somewhat apart from her friends and coworkers in New York. The book alternates between three timelines – Candace’s present day journey with the group, her recent past in New York before the fever hit and her childhood. There is a lot going on in a fairly slim novel. Fair warning -the ending is not going to be for everyone. I didn’t care for it at first but the more I thought about it, the more I felt it was appropriate. Recommended.
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(pre-pandemic) at the library but by the time it came in a couple of weeks ago, I had forgotten what it was about. It turns out, it’s about a global pandemic! I read it anyway, dubious that I could enjoy it given the state the world is in currently, and I’m glad I did. On the surface, Severance could be classified as a zombie apocalypse book but in actuality, it’s much more. It’s also about the immigrant experience and late-stage capitalism.This book was published in 2018, making the similarities to today quite eerie. It’s a good thing I’m not a conspiracy theorist. A fungal infection out of China called the Shen Fever is sweeping the world. As the fever spreads in the US, the government becomes less forthcoming with the information about the death toll. People are urged to wear masks but not everyone does. Tourists continue to come to New York as the fever spreads. The New York Times prints the names of the dead on its homepage. I could go on.
A person infected with Shen Fever performs the same mundane task over and over until they die. For instance, Candace observes a fevered woman working at an abandoned Juicy Couture store folding sweatpants over and over. She has been there doing that for so long that half her jaw has rotted off.
Candace Chen is one of the last people to leave New York. Before the fever takes over, she works at a publishing company in the Bible division, with basically the same routine every day. She keeps coming into work long after her coworkers have left both their jobs and the city. When she does finally quit, she joins a group of survivors on their way to a place their leader calls The Facility, where they can start a new society.
Candace’s journey with them is only part of her story. She immigrated to the US from China as a child. Growing up the daughter of immigrants has always set her somewhat apart from her friends and coworkers in New York. The book alternates between three timelines – Candace’s present day journey with the group, her recent past in New York before the fever hit and her childhood. There is a lot going on in a fairly slim novel. Fair warning -the ending is not going to be for everyone. I didn’t care for it at first but the more I thought about it, the more I felt it was appropriate. Recommended.
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LibraryThing member sparemethecensor
I really liked the writing in this. The immigrant experience was very interesting and added color to the novel. I also really liked the rendering of New York City, which was so true but also elevated.
I hated the pregnancy storyline. I also hated the lack of ending.
Strictly worse than Station
I hated the pregnancy storyline. I also hated the lack of ending.
Strictly worse than Station
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Eleven, which precedes it and is quite similar. Show Less
LibraryThing member grandpahobo
For me, this book was like a famous abstract painting or sculpture. I can appreciate the talent and technical prowess of the artist, but I can't see the purpose. In the case of this book, I can appreciate the authors ability to write evocatively and convey how people think and feel, but I just
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don't see the point of the book. From my point of view, the main character just wanders and stumbles through her life and struggles without ever finding a direction or purpose. Show Less
LibraryThing member alexrichman
Station Eleven meets My Year of Rest and Relaxation - or, perhaps more accurately, Dawn of the Dead meets Office Space. An incredibly powerful satire which I would recommend heartily to everyone, this book is brilliant on our sense of belonging, be it in a relationship, a workplace or a city, while
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having all the pulpy enjoyment of a post-apocalyptic thriller. I’ve deducted one star for the ending, which I wasn’t wild about, but that’s really nitpicking. Show Less
LibraryThing member jnmegan
“This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.” “The Hollow Men” -T.S. Eliot
Severance by Ling Ma is an unusual but elegant combination of immigration story and post-apocalyptic drama. Thematically, it addresses the human desire for belonging that is derailed by mistrust and
Not with a bang but a whimper.” “The Hollow Men” -T.S. Eliot
Severance by Ling Ma is an unusual but elegant combination of immigration story and post-apocalyptic drama. Thematically, it addresses the human desire for belonging that is derailed by mistrust and
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urban alienation. It also makes a statement about our modern tendency to adhere compulsively to conformity despite conflicting ideals of individuality and personal freedom. Ling Ma’s protagonist, Candace Chen, is a new transplant to New York City after having lost both of her parents. The rest of her family lives in China, so she has no real connections upon her arrival. At first, she aimlessly wanders the city taking photographs that even she admits are unoriginal. Eventually, she falls into a job working in an international book printing office. Candace finds herself caught in an endless loop of routine-with mostly superficial friendships and little hope for change or advancement. She even clings to her daily rituals as the world succumbs slowly to an epidemic that culminates in the breakdown of civilization. The sickness, called Shen Fever, causes the infected (“the Fevered”) to act like robotic zombies, engaging in rote motions until they inevitably die from neglect of their basic needs. The plague spreads insidiously, creeping over the globe with no discernable reason as to why some people fall ill while others remain immune. Candace reluctantly leaves the city only when pressured by the lack of services and a secret she can no longer contain. She is welcomed into a group of survivors in search of a place to settle and begin a new life. Their dogmatic leader enforces order with evangelical zeal and may have ulterior motives. The novel alternates between Candace’s experience as a child new to America, her life in NY, and her experience dealing with the aftermath of the catastrophe. Severance is a quick but addictive read- unique and thought-provoking. What does it take to wake us up out of our comfort zones and propel us into taking action when these zones are no longer inhabitable? Is the security of being accepted and cared for worth the cost of independence? Ling Ma’s debut novel is funny but disturbing, refreshing but uncomfortably familiar. Definitely a new author worth recommending and watching for her future efforts. Show Less
LibraryThing member Vokram
Title: Severance
Author: Ling Ma
Publication Date: Aug 2018
Genre: Apocalyptic
Score: 3/5 (a generous score)
The apocalyptic book for the millennial generation. A 20 something New Yorker survives a pandemic. She was drifting through life and drifts through the apocalypse. I’m sure there are metaphors
Author: Ling Ma
Publication Date: Aug 2018
Genre: Apocalyptic
Score: 3/5 (a generous score)
The apocalyptic book for the millennial generation. A 20 something New Yorker survives a pandemic. She was drifting through life and drifts through the apocalypse. I’m sure there are metaphors
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aplenty in this novel, but it doesn’t inspire me to quantify them. One odd choice- the author forgoes quotation marks for dialog. Does it mean something? Not great. Show Less
LibraryThing member agjuba
I read this during the COVD-19 crisis. Some aspects of the novel are eerily true; others (thankfully) are not. I agree with the reviewers who are frustrated by the abrupt ending.
LibraryThing member Kanarthi
The parts of this novel that focus on Candace Chen's family, her early-twenties career and life worries, her trips to China, and the slow envelopment of New York by a fungal pandemic are great. I especially liked how each member of her family had a different relationship with their adopted country.
But as someone who usually reads fantasy and science-fiction, I was most disappointed by the portions of the novel that described Candace's trip westward with a band of survivors. This band is led by an authoritarian religious zealot, who uses violence and verbal cajolery to manipulate its members. These sections feel like an underthought, unsubtle caricature compared to the rest of the book. The book's dreamy tone and slow revelation of details don't match the high drama occurring in these chapters. In the scenes in New York and China, Candace's malaise and passive observations feel like an honest depiction of the uncertainty of young adulthood and a developing pandemic, but on the road trip they become annoying and unbelievable character traits. The final fifty pages bring together interesting ideas about routines and memory and humanity, but they also make it clear that Candace's character is an artificial shell for this story and its themes, losing the dynamic, reactive quality she had in earlier chapters. Also,pregnancy in the middle of a pandemic is incredibly cliche and the author does nothing interesting with this plot element.
A reader with a lot of time on their hands who's interested in the themes of the better sections might consider picking this up, but it's not for anyone who cares primarily about tight plot, dynamic characters, or genre elements. I can't see this book gaining much traction beyond readers of trendy literary novels.
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The writing is stylish and has a humorous, precise bent. The juxtaposition of the sections and the measured ways that characters reappear in the story and information is doled out all show signs of a skilled hand. But as someone who usually reads fantasy and science-fiction, I was most disappointed by the portions of the novel that described Candace's trip westward with a band of survivors. This band is led by an authoritarian religious zealot, who uses violence and verbal cajolery to manipulate its members. These sections feel like an underthought, unsubtle caricature compared to the rest of the book. The book's dreamy tone and slow revelation of details don't match the high drama occurring in these chapters. In the scenes in New York and China, Candace's malaise and passive observations feel like an honest depiction of the uncertainty of young adulthood and a developing pandemic, but on the road trip they become annoying and unbelievable character traits. The final fifty pages bring together interesting ideas about routines and memory and humanity, but they also make it clear that Candace's character is an artificial shell for this story and its themes, losing the dynamic, reactive quality she had in earlier chapters. Also,
A reader with a lot of time on their hands who's interested in the themes of the better sections might consider picking this up, but it's not for anyone who cares primarily about tight plot, dynamic characters, or genre elements. I can't see this book gaining much traction beyond readers of trendy literary novels.
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LibraryThing member Stahl-Ricco
“After the End came the Beginning.”
Candace Chan of New York, a former Bible book rep, is one of a group of 9 survivors of a fever plague/pandemic. It’s interesting and well written, but I felt there was too much about her ’old’ life and too little about her current life. Especially all of
Candace Chan of New York, a former Bible book rep, is one of a group of 9 survivors of a fever plague/pandemic. It’s interesting and well written, but I felt there was too much about her ’old’ life and too little about her current life. Especially all of
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the book publishing details, which I started skim reading. And, for me, there are way too many pop culture references in here! Sometimes there are whole lists of them! I wanted more stalking - live or dead! Show Less
LibraryThing member mhartford
Reading a pandemic novel during a pandemic is a bit too on the nose, but "Severance" is more than just a post-apocalyptic horror; it's a well-structured, beautifully crafted meditation on nostalgia as differentiated from memory, and on the habits that keep us going long after it was time to have
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stopped. The gradual/sudden collapse of society is presented in a way that is quite affecting now, as we watch familiar things around us change slowly and abruptly all at once. Show Less
LibraryThing member SocProf9740
Not your usual dystopian / end of the world novel. Actually, for the main character, her pre-end life does not much differ from her post-end life. And maybe that's the point and the metaphor here. I have to confess not being able to put it down until I was done. The end comes, but it comes very
I saw a lot of review mentioning how funny the book was. That is was not my read at all (I could be wrong, obviously), again, I was more horrified by the slow decay of the world and the progressively crushing solitude of all the characters.
It is not coincidental, of course, that the narrative weaves together a world-ending fever originating in China, affecting first workers in export-oriented industries, including the one where the main character, herself a child of Chinese immigrants, works. There are definite parallels between the barely-known Chinese relatives to the main character and the survivors group she ends up joining.
The kicker, of course, is the writing itself which mimics the behavior of the fevered.
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slowly and gradually, which makes it all the more horrifying. The zombies - or as they are called here, the fevered, those afflicted by the shen fever that kills almost everybody - are not walking-dead-style zombies. They go through their most routine activity, repeatedly, mechanically, mindlessly, until they waste away.I saw a lot of review mentioning how funny the book was. That is was not my read at all (I could be wrong, obviously), again, I was more horrified by the slow decay of the world and the progressively crushing solitude of all the characters.
It is not coincidental, of course, that the narrative weaves together a world-ending fever originating in China, affecting first workers in export-oriented industries, including the one where the main character, herself a child of Chinese immigrants, works. There are definite parallels between the barely-known Chinese relatives to the main character and the survivors group she ends up joining.
The kicker, of course, is the writing itself which mimics the behavior of the fevered.
Show Less
LibraryThing member billsearth
This is a good summer read. The author writes an exciting story , going back and forth from the past to present and back again. The only thing keeping it from 5 stars, is a weak plot conclusion, or no real conclusion to me. There are several loose ends at the end, as if it is just Part 1 but I
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doubt that, with the double timelines of the story. Show Less
LibraryThing member Gwendydd
This is the story of a woman who is a daughter of Chinese immigrants in the US. The story jumps around in her life, focusing on a few years before and the months immediately after a deadly pandemic kills most of the population. Before the pandemic, she lives in New York city, working a job that she
It's weird reading a novel about a pandemic that was written before the covid pandemic. Pandemic novels will never be the same, because it's impossible not to compare the imagined pandemic to the real one. In the novel, people are not nearly so stupid as they were in real life, and there wasn't a racist backlash even though the disease originated in China. Of course, this disease is nothing like covid - it has a very high fatality rate, and the way people die is pretty nightmarish.
But of course, comparing this pandemic to covid is completely missing the point. The point of this book is that the post-apocalyptic world isn't really any different from the pre-apocalyptic world. Before the pandemic, Candace lives her unfulfilling meandering life as a cog in a capitalist machine, where she feels like she has no purpose and nothing to contribute. The disease shuts down people's brains and turns them into zombie-like drones who do the same tasks over and over (they don't eat brains though), just like cogs in a capitalist machine.
The book is rather uneven. Candace is not exactly likeable - her defining character trait is a purposeless ennui that makes her hard to care about. Sometimes the book feels tense and fast-paced, and sometimes it's just tedious office politics. It's not exciting enough to be a thriller, and it has a general light tone that isn't quite comedic, largely because Candace doesn't really take anything seriously.
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doesn't really find fulfilling, in a relationship that also isn't very fulfilling. After the pandemic, she travels with a group of people, raiding homes and stores for food, on their way to a sanctuary in Ohio.It's weird reading a novel about a pandemic that was written before the covid pandemic. Pandemic novels will never be the same, because it's impossible not to compare the imagined pandemic to the real one. In the novel, people are not nearly so stupid as they were in real life, and there wasn't a racist backlash even though the disease originated in China. Of course, this disease is nothing like covid - it has a very high fatality rate, and the way people die is pretty nightmarish.
But of course, comparing this pandemic to covid is completely missing the point. The point of this book is that the post-apocalyptic world isn't really any different from the pre-apocalyptic world. Before the pandemic, Candace lives her unfulfilling meandering life as a cog in a capitalist machine, where she feels like she has no purpose and nothing to contribute. The disease shuts down people's brains and turns them into zombie-like drones who do the same tasks over and over (they don't eat brains though), just like cogs in a capitalist machine.
The book is rather uneven. Candace is not exactly likeable - her defining character trait is a purposeless ennui that makes her hard to care about. Sometimes the book feels tense and fast-paced, and sometimes it's just tedious office politics. It's not exciting enough to be a thriller, and it has a general light tone that isn't quite comedic, largely because Candace doesn't really take anything seriously.
Show Less
Awards
Dublin Literary Award (Longlist — 2020)
Kirkus Prize (Finalist — Fiction — 2018)
Locus Award (Finalist — First Novel — 2019)
Aspen Words Literary Prize (Longlist — 2019)
PEN/Hemingway Award (Nominee — Finalist - 2019)
Young Lions Fiction Award (Finalist — 2019)
VCU Cabell First Novelist Award (Winner — 2019)
BookTube Prize (Octofinalist — Fiction — 2019)
Friends of American Writers Award (First Place — Adult Literature — 2019)
NPR: Books We Love (2018)
The New York Times Notable Books of the Year (Fiction — 2018)
Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year (Literary Fiction — 2018)
The A.V. Club best books (2018)
The Great American Novels (2018)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Adults (Selection — 2018)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2018
Physical description
304 p.; 8.11 inches
ISBN
1250214998 / 9781250214997