Starting with a glitteringly beautiful premise about beauty and truth redeeming a dark world, Station Eleven loses its way in the moral morass of twenty-first century subjectivism and social agendas. But Goodness Should Also MatterĪnd here’s where the book loses its moral compass. This is where we’ll find happiness in a dystopian world, the novel teaches, whether it’s siblings saving each other during the early days of the pandemic, loyal friends risking their lives for each other, or simply a father baking bread for his children. Likewise, the beauty of friendships and family are a powerful theme in Station Eleven. In stark contrast to the overall darkness of a collapsed world, the truth and beauty in Shakespeare and classical symphonies shine forth and touch the hearts of everyone who hears the Traveling Symphony’s performances. The post-pandemic world depicted in Station Eleven is bleak, ruthless, and uncivilized. What made this book memorable was the fundamental truth that even in extreme circumstances, beauty and truth shine through. Because “Survival is insufficient.” The real magic of this book is in its presentation of the truth that art and beauty and culture are worth preserving even in the darkest of times. The Traveling Symphony travels around the Midwestern United States performing classical music and Shakespeare plays. After a flu pandemic destroys 99% of the world’s population, most of the remnant live in small survival-focused communities. An immediate national bestseller, Station Eleven is a contemporary dystopia by Emily St.