The End of the World Book Club

Zombies in the age of Capitalism | Severance by Ling Ma | with StoryGraph Founder Nadia Odunayo


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In this book club episode (warning: more spoilers than usual!) I discuss Severance by Ling Ma with StoryGraph Founder Nadia Odunayo. We talk about the themes of work, family, routine, capitalism and as always, the end of the world. 

Note from the editor (aka me): there are a few tiny audio pops in the first 5 minutes, but they disappear very quickly. 👍

Thanks to everyone who sent in their voice clips for this episode.

About Severance by Ling Ma: Candace Chen, a millennial drone self-sequestered in a Manhattan office tower, is devoted to routine: her work, watching movies with her boyfriend, avoiding thoughts of her recently deceased Chinese immigrant parents. So she barely notices when a plague of biblical proportions sweeps the world. Candace joins a small group of survivors, led by the power-hungry Bob, on their way to the Facility, where, Bob promises, they will have everything they need to start society anew. 

Books mentioned:

  • Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandell
  • The Stand by Stephen King
  • My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
  • Bliss Montage by Ling Ma
  • Other things mentioned:

    • Severance, the Apple TV show
    • Check out The StoryGraph to document your reading (and get great recommendations here: https://app.thestorygraph.com/

      Follow The StoryGraph on Instagram

      Follow Nadia on Instagram

      The Ling Ma interview I read

      The End of the World Book Club is a podcast about apocalyptic and dystopian literature, hosted by Sanne Vliegenthart. Join me in discovering sci-fi classics, reading climate books and diving head first into the huge realm of speculative fiction, all with the theme of the end of the world and what might come after it.

      Sanne Vliegenthart is the creator of Books & Quills, author of a Book Club Journal, and a freelance Social Media Strategist and Literary Event Host in publishing. You can find her literary explorations of the UK and reading recommendations on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok at @booksandquills.

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      You can also support the podcast by ordering books through our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bookshop.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ page (ad, affiliate link). On this page you can browse all the books we'll be discussing this season: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Browse the books

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      The End of the World Book ClubBy Sanne Vliegenthart

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