Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel is as intriguing as they come. Speculative fiction with a literary bent, it explores the themes of love, loss, duty, and destiny through the lens of time travel.
It's difficult to explain the setup for this book. Three seemingly unrelated people from three different time periods (early 20th century British Columbia, 2020 Brooklyn, and 23rd century moon colony) have a shared experience/vision that appears to be an anomaly in time.
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| Image via Indianapolis Public Library |
Gaspery-Jacques Roberts is sent by the Time Institute to gather information about the anomaly. A ne'er do well with a brilliant sister, Gaspery grew up on a moon colony but has had no real direction in life. This anomaly, however, sparks something within him, and he undergoes training to blend in to the different time periods where he'll interview the central players.
What follows is a time-spanning narrative that seems disconnected at first until it all comes together--clicking in brilliant fashion as the novel reaches its conclusion.
Mandel excels at small character moments and world building. The moon colonies of the 23rd century feel just as lived in and lush as the 1912 British Columbia forest locale that is so essential to the plot mechanics. Gaspery himself is a relatable protagonist thrust into a seemingly unsolvable situation.
The novel plays with the themes of time and place and destiny. It explores relationships, both familial and romantic, in unique ways. And while I'm fairly certain the anomaly really amounts to a gigantic, unsolvable time paradox, that's par for course in any story that deals with time travel.
Sea of Tranquility won't be for everyone.
The first few chapters involve disconnected characters and rely on the central mystery to lure readers in.
If it doesn't catch you immediately, you may find yourself bored by what appears to start as a dry introduction to a monied 20th century English transplant who's trying to find his way in the North American wilderness.
Then, suddenly, you're in 2020 Brooklyn reading about the fallout of a Ponzi scheme before being whipped into the 23rd century on a book tour with an author whose novel about a pandemic also includes a scene referencing the very anomaly Gasper is investigating.
It can be jarring, no doubt. My advice would be to stick with it.
