Severance

Ling Ma’s Severance is a masterclass in modern apocalypse fiction. It blends slice-of-life with disaster, fostering a narrative that questions contemporary life and makes the reader nostalgic for a better time they weren’t even a part of.

Following the main character, Candace, Severance is evenly split between two times: one as she navigates early adulthood in New York City, and the other as she navigates the world after a deadly virus outbreak. It's an abrupt switch between mundane life and the end of the world, and even as you continue to read, it doesn't become less sharp. The juxtaposition of absurdity and normalcy makes the book a very interesting adventure. The multiple settings and times make for much better world-building, and help develop Candace’s character more deeply. The reader is able to see not just how she functions in normal life or in a post-apocalyptic world, but both. She becomes well-rounded and three-dimensional.

In my opinion, the main character Candace is an absolute highlight of the book and a wonderful narrator. She is an everyday person. She works a job she hates, and her romantic life is a jumbled mess. She emigrated with her parents from China as a child, and lost them in later years, but not before being impacted by their tumultuous marriage, cracked and insecure from the hardships of immigration. Her relatably poor decision-making skills, her dry sense of humor, and her down-to-earth awareness make it easy to empathize with her hardships and become immersed in her experiences. You want her to succeed at her dead-end job, even while she concedes that the company and industry she works in is exploitative of workers in other countries, and even while fully knowing that the end of the world is imminent anyway.

Additionally, Severance is also written in a very interesting way. Similar to the style of the popular fiction writer Sally Rooney in “Normal People” and “Conversations with Friends,” or the highly regarded Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road and Blood Meridian,” Severance doesn’t use quotation marks. At first, I will admit it’s a little hard to get used to, but I think the lack of quotation marks achieves a level of immersion that many other books don’t have. The writing flows smoothly, and while reading, the story plays in your head in an almost movie-like manner. This ultra-simplistic style of writing also adds to the overall commentary on mundane life that is present throughout the story. The tone is largely monotonous, both because of Candace’s mentality, circumstances, and the unconventional way of writing. It helps immerse the reader into the dullness of Candace’s corporate lifestyle, while also staying immersed throughout the apocalypse-focused chapters.

I highly recommend checking out Severance if your interest is even slightly piqued. It’s a completely worthwhile read, and it’s the kind of book that sticks with you for a while after you’ve read it. From worldbuilding to the characters to the messaging, Severance is a wonderful read!

**Note: This book is unrelated to the Apple TV show Severance.