Emily St. John Mandel's Exit Party imagines U.S. collapse and hopeful second chances
The Toronto author's new novel opens in 2031 LA—capital of a newly formed Republic of California—where a mysterious portal disrupts a house party and two women materialize.
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Emily St. John Mandel's new novel Exit Party begins in 2031, shortly after the collapse of the United States, and opens at a house party in Los Angeles—now the capital of the newly formed Republic of California. The protagonist, Ari Waker, fresh out of an 18-year prison sentence, finds himself in the midst of chaos when a portal opens in the kitchen, the host disappears, and two women materialize from an alternate dimension. The book is described as a mystery set in a not-quite-brave-new-world.
This is Mandel's first novel set in Los Angeles. Her previous six novels have all passed through New York in some form, and were set variously in Montreal, Toronto, British Columbia and Europe. Mandel began writing Exit Party in the spring of 2022 while in LA on a delayed television project, and the novel contains two distinct dystopias—an A side where the United States has fallen apart and people come through an alternate dimension, and a B side with its own logic.
Mandel drew inspiration from the division and partisanship she witnessed around her. "I'm surrounded by this incredible division and partisanship," she said, which she extrapolated forward to imagine civil war in the novel. ICE raids were occurring while she was finishing the manuscript, informing its urgency. The character Ari Waker previously appeared in Mandel's 2010 novel The Singer's Gun, where he was known as Aria and was unambiguously a villain—a departure that speaks to Mandel's interest in redemption and second chances.
Mandel does not write from an outline, allowing characters and situations to emerge as she works. Two of her previous novels, Station Eleven and Sea of Tranquility, catapulted her onto bestseller lists worldwide. Her work has explored pandemics, Ponzi schemes and the colonization of space. "Exit Party is fundamentally hopeful," Mandel said, even as it imagines America undone. TV rights to the novel have already been sold.
The details
Who is the author of Exit Party?
Emily St. John Mandel is the author of Exit Party.
When and where does Exit Party begin?
The novel begins in 2031 in Los Angeles, now the capital of the newly formed Republic of California, shortly after the collapse of the United States.
What is the main plot trigger in Exit Party?
A portal opens in the kitchen during a house party, the host disappears, and two women materialize from an alternate dimension.
Is this Mandel's first novel set in Los Angeles?
Yes, Exit Party is Mandel's first novel set in Los Angeles; her previous six novels were set in Montreal, Toronto, British Columbia, New York, and Europe.
