Anything can happen in a post-apocalyptic world. A mother might abandon her children. A pizza delivery guy might save a nation. Enemies might touch your heart, understand you in a way nobody else does. A mere comic book might be a cause of something big. A new religion might emerge, along with a band of people who called themselves ‘the light’, carrying a propaganda of a newfound prophet.

If you ever fantasized what life could be after the disappearance of civilization, a book titled Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel is a must-read.

I am aware of the existence of this book around a week ago, in the middle of my research about the booming of apocalypse genre in entertainment and literature (I need it for my other blog). I stumbled into an article about apocalypse genre, and on one of the paragraphs, the writer made an honorary mention of a post-apocalyptic book, the caption got me in the first place: “If you ever wondered what art is going to do in a world of post-apocalypse, I suggest you read Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.”

And so I searched for the book, got the e-book version, finished it within 2 days, can’t stop thinking about it ever since.

I believe that Station Eleven would be a dear to anyone who loves art, especially anyone who’s a big fan of Shakespeare or comic book. A plus if you’re also a big fan of a book/movie Cloud Atlas, because in my opinion, the plot of Station Eleven do have a mild resemblance with Cloud Atlas.

Well, I do need a little learning on Shakespeare, but I do love Cloud Atlas and I do illustration from time to time, so you know why I can’t seem to move on from the book. It made me realize that no creation is allowed to be considered small, especially the one that is made by heart. Small or big, you might want to appreciate everything right now, because one day, a thing as small as a torn piece of a comic book page might become your most precious possession.