Exit Party

The setting is Los Angeles in the year 2031. The United States has collapsed, splintering into a network of independent nations and city-states, but the curfew in L.A. has finally been lifted. Ari Waker, fresh off an eighteen-year prison sentence, agrees to accompany her roommate, Gloria, to a party at her friend Kareem's apartment to celebrate. When they arrive, everything seems normal. But then bizarre things start happening: for a brief moment, there isn't just one Gloria, but two. Then Kareem, always a conscientious host, vanishes from the party without a trace.

The story follows Ari in the aftermath of Kareem's disappearance as her life takes her to Ohio and a job running weapons for a local militia. Years later, during a stakeout, she unexpectedly spots Gloria—except it isn't Gloria. It is a different version of her, a woman calling herself Nico who shares the exact same voice and a nearly identical appearance. Nico is obtuse about where she came from, but acknowledges it's "a different place", and she tells Ari that she believes Gloria went to Paris. Ari soon sets off in pursuit.

While these events unfold on "A-side," a portion of the book takes place on "B-side"—an alternate universe in which the primary characters live under a single, controlled authoritarian state. This is the world where Nico originated and where Kareem was transported. Author Emily St. John Mandel leverages this contrasting reality to slowly expose the origins of the cross-universe transport, while using the differences in setting to lightly delve into nature versus nurture, exploring which traits persist across versions of her characters and which diverge. However, the personality connections between each rendition are more limited than one might expect: these characters share physical appearances and voices, but little else with their doppelgängers. Furthermore, both societies are ones in which the general population lives in fear—whether from roaming militia bands or undercover surveillance operatives ready to report any dissension to the state. Greater variation in the base environment would have made for a more compelling comparison.

Having recently read Under Story, Chloe Benjamin's brilliant take on an alternate universe narrative, it was inevitable that I would measure Exit Party against it. Unfortunately, that comparison found Exit Party lacking. Mandel achieved broad success with her previous novels Station Eleven and Sea of Tranquility, and readers who enjoyed those titles will likely appreciate this latest descent into near-future speculative science fiction. Looking back at my ratings, however, I didn't love either of those earlier books. Despite that, I strangely held a positive association with Mandel's work. I think Exit Party likely confirms that her writing is simply not for me. There is something about how Mandel shapes a story that leaves me unsatisfied. While she manages the ending here better than in her previous books, I was still underwhelmed. If you're in the mood for speculative science and exploration of alternate universes, I suggest you try Under Story instead.