Emily St. John Mandel on Writing a Novel of Dystopian Counterlives
Post-pandemic dystopias are at the center of Emily St. John Mandel’s most celebrated novels.
Emily St. John Mandel is a Canadian-American author known for her speculative fiction novels that explore dystopian futures and societal collapse. Her works often incorporate elements of science fiction, literary fiction, and autofiction. Mandel has received several literary awards, including the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Station Eleven (2014), which also won the Prix des Libraires du Québec and the Toronto Book Award, and was a finalist for the National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner. Her novel Sea of Tranquility (2022) spans five centuries and includes themes of time travel and pandemics. Mandel’s writing frequently revisits characters from her earlier books, creating interconnected narratives across her works.
Exit Party is Mandel’s 2026 novel set in a dystopian 2031 where the United States has collapsed following a coup d’état. Several states secede, leading to the formation of new nation-states. The story alternates between two parallel versions of the United States: one that has fragmented into smaller nations and another that has become an authoritarian surveillance state. The novel explores themes of counterlives, identity, and the consequences of political collapse. It features returning characters such as Ari Waker and Anton Waker from The Singer’s Gun (2015) and Lucas Alkaitis from The Glass Hotel (2020). The narrative is structured in three sections: A-Side, B-Side, and Swan Dive, which focuses on a painting by Lucas Alkaitis.
Ari Waker is a central character in Exit Party who is released from prison in 2031 after serving 18 years for attempting to murder her cousin Anton. She struggles to adapt to a post-coup America and experiences premonitions that guide her actions. Ari’s life is marked by regret and a desire to change, as she believes her past actions were a mistake. Her character embodies themes of redemption and the consequences of criminality. The novel delves into her emotional journey as she navigates a fractured society and encounters doppelgängers of herself and others, representing alternate versions of her life and the world.
Doppelgängers, or doubles, play a significant role in Exit Party, representing the concept of counterlives—alternate versions of oneself based on different life choices or circumstances. Mandel explores how these doubles reflect the psychological and societal implications of living in contrasting political systems. For example, Ari encounters a stranger named Saraya at a party who recognizes her under a different name, and later sees another version of Saraya dressed differently. The novel also examines the counterlife of the state, imagining how the United States might have evolved into either a fragmented collection of nations or an authoritarian regime.
Mandel began writing Exit Party in spring 2022, during a period of heightened political division in the United States. The novel was inspired by the country’s increasing polarization, disinformation campaigns, and the possibility of national collapse. Mandel has stated that she is less interested in disaster itself and more in its aftermath, exploring how societies rebuild or transform after catastrophic events. The novel’s dystopian setting reflects real-world concerns about political instability and the erosion of democratic norms, though it remains speculative rather than predictive.
Mandel’s Exit Party employs a non-linear structure divided into three sections: A-Side, B-Side, and Swan Dive. The A-Side and B-Side represent two parallel universes with distinct political systems, while Swan Dive centers on a painting by Lucas Alkaitis, which reappears throughout the narrative. The structure allows Mandel to explore themes of interconnectedness and the passage of time. She manages the complexity of her multiverse by keeping the details in her mind while writing, though she occasionally relies on reminders for connections between her books. Her writing process includes listening to ambient music or white noise to maintain focus.
Mandel’s work blends speculative fiction, literary fiction, and science fiction, often incorporating elements of autofiction and time travel. Her narratives frequently feature characters with special qualities, such as foresight, that do not always protect them from their fates. She is drawn to the emotional and psychological implications of her characters’ choices and the worlds they inhabit. Mandel’s style emphasizes world-building and the movement of art and ideas across time, as seen in her exploration of the painting Swan Dive and its significance to multiple characters.
Mandel prefers contemporary fiction and cites authors like Charles Yu, Olivia Laing, Jesmyn Ward, Zadie Smith, Dan Chaon, and Han Kang as influences. Her writing process involves keeping the details of her books in her head, though she sometimes uses reminders for complex connections. She has experimented with visual aids like walls of words but finds them cumbersome. Her workspace varies between New York City and Los Angeles, where she shares an office with her wife. She listens to ambient music or white noise while writing, such as Max Richter’s Sleep or sounds of rain or the Pacific Ocean.
Mandel is currently working on a new novel and has been involved in adapting *Exit Party* into a TV series. She is also developing a TV adaptation of *The Lola Quartet* and a film adaptation of *Last Night in Montreal*. These projects reflect her interest in expanding her narratives into other media, building on her experience with screenwriting and the success of her literary works. Mandel’s creative process often includes multiple forms of storytelling, demonstrating her versatility as a writer.
