Into a story muddled by a twisted timeline? Let Emily St. John Mandel sweep you away!

At first, it’s hard to tell where Mandel is going with this one. There’s a British colonist coming over to Canada, a 21st century woman looking for her lost friend, a novelist in the far future, and a “burnout” in the even further future. But then Mandel does bring it all together eventually, crafting a story of connection. Her characters have to weigh one person’s life at a time against massive global circumstances in several different ways. It’s an exercise in vulnerability and human value, and we give this one the thumbs up.