Sea of Tranquility - A Comprehensive Summary
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel is a science fiction novel that deals with time travel, reality, art, love, and pandemics. The story follows Gaspery-Jacques Roberts, a time traveler who travels through various times, encountering different people. The novel's title alludes to the cartographic feature of the moon, which plays a significant symbolic role in the story.
The novel is divided into eight parts, each focusing on different characters and their respective timelines. Edwin, a young man in 1912 Canada, witnesses an anomaly that transports him from his current location to the Oklahoma City Airship Terminal, where he sees Alan play his violin. He later meets Gaspery, who is disguised as a priest, and tells him about the anomaly.
In the second part, Mirella searches for Vincent Smith in 2020 and encounters Gaspery, whom she recognizes from her childhood in Ohio. Gaspery speaks to Vincent's brother about the anomaly, and Mirella breaks up with her girlfriend after talking to him in New York.
Part three introduces Olive, a novelist on a book tour in 2203, who lectures about pandemics as a pandemic breaks out. Gaspery interviews her and asks about a scene in her book that describes the anomaly. In part four, Gaspery tells his story, growing up near Olive's house on the moon colony, meeting a girl named Talia, and eventually becoming a security guard at a hotel. His sister tells him about the anomaly, and he spends many years training at the Time Institute.
Part five shows Gaspery warning Olive about the pandemic and convincing her to go back to the moon. He checks on her, but his actions lead to consequences, which Zoey warns him about in part six. He convinces Zoey to send him to Caiette in 1994, where he sees the anomaly and witnesses reality breaking.
In part seven, Gaspery visits Edwin, who has returned to England after being wounded in the war. Gaspery assures him that the anomaly was not a symptom of mental illness but a verified occurrence. Finally, in part eight, Gaspery becomes Alan and triggers the anomaly.
Several Gasperys appear at the same time and place, and he goes through an interview with his younger self without revealing his identity.
Sea of Tranquility is a highly acclaimed novel that explores complex themes and features a non-linear plot that weaves together different timelines and characters.
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Science fiction & fantasy