I absolutely loved this post-apocalyptic story about a pandemic that interferes with the monotony of one millennial woman's career in New York City. Themes of capitalism, immigration, and nostalgia are explored by a fascinating narrator who carries the story forward. The complex, uncertain ending suits the themes of the book, to which there is no tidy ending. Five stars and I'll be looking for more from this author in the future.

Dark and totally apropos for this time of banal dystopia. The first half was perfect but I lost a little steam towards the end.

This Is the Way the World Ends...

Definitely with a whimper. There are books about millennials that appeal to and engage readers of all ages and circumstances. There are books about millennials that appeal only to millennials. It seemed to me that this book fell into that latter category.

There were some fine phrases and descriptive passages, clever observations, and edgy throwaway lines. But that was about it. This isn't really a dystopian or post-apocalyptic novel, because no fictional dystopia could be this bland. It isn't much of a social commentary or satire because not much is made of the ship of fools with which our heroine finds herself, and our narrator almost always pulls her punches. It could be a coming of age sort of tale, but our heroine starts out as such a dull and lackluster drone that her growth doesn't amount to much. The immigrant experience is an interesting angle but did we have to destroy all of humanity just to set that up?

I don't mean to be a wiseguy. I enjoyed parts of this and appreciated the author's skill. There was a puckish sense of humor lurking about below some of the narrative. The mopey heroine and the plague setup just seemed to restrict the author more than necessary.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

This book stood out to me because of its unique pitch and I'd heard only great things about it from friends! I really loved the writing and thought it was a refreshing take on an apocalypse. I found it a bit too literary to be one of my normal reads, but aside from my personal taste this is a great book.

This wasn't what I expected at all - it was much better. I knew there was a zombie apocalypse, but it was a rather gentle one. Candace's story is both funny and sad. The way that the author weaves the various story strands flows beautifully. Much of the description of the sickness is prescient.

The chapters of this book skip back and forth from Candace’s childhood and parents, her post-college life in NYC pre-plague and her life after the Shen Fever pandemic. Unfortunately, I wasn’t interested in any of these time periods. The writing is so banal that it didn’t involve me and the author clearly was unable to accurately imagine a pandemic. I made it to the 27% point before giving up. I doubt that I would try this author again. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
Severance shows the coping mechanisms -- both pro- and anti-social of how to deal with mass amounts of humanity die of disease, and what that means for the survivors -- how to form community, how to live, everything in between. The perspective on this one puts a very human face on the crazed times.

I really wanted to like this book. I have seen rave reviews for it and I know that it is a bookstagram favorite. However, this one just did not work for me. I did not connect with the characters of the plot and I ended up DNF'ing it after 100 pages. I appreciate the opportunity to read it, this just wasn't a good fit for me.

“A second chance doesn’t mean that you’re in the clear. In many ways, it is the more difficult thing. Because a second chance means that you have to try harder. You must rise to the challenge without the blind optimism of ignorance.”

This is, without a doubt, one of the most uniquely wonderful dystopian books I have ever read. It's the post-apocalypse for millennials and I loved nearly every second of it. Ling Ma is an author to watch, for sure.

Candance Chen is a recent orphan, first-generation American to Chinsese immigrant parents, and a workaholic in New York City. She's so busy, in fact, that she fails to notice that the Shen Fever, a plague that turns people into mindless drones, is spreading and spreading. Her boss commissions her to stay in their high-rise and continue working while nearly everyone else flees the city, isolating her from everyone else. Candance spends her time working and photographing the ghost town under an anonymous blogging name NY Ghost. When Candance runs into a group of survivors heading for a seemingly perfect community called the Facility, Candace wonders whether they can be trusted as she carries a secret of her own.

This book is so fast paced and exhilarating. It switches between the past and the present to weave together a complete picture that is the mystery of Candace Chen. It is a stunning exploration of family and what matters most. The prose is as fantastic of the cast of characters. This one isn't one to miss.

Such a unique literary take on the apocalypse. I'm thrilled that it ended up on so many Best of the Year lists.

Finally, a post-apocalyptic novel that feels fresh and inventive. I've gotten pretty tired of regular ol' zombies, so I loved Ling Ma's creation of "the fevered" - infected people that end up endlessly repeating tasks until they die. I also loved Ma's main character, Candace Chen - a millennial, first-generation Chinese American orphan who cocoons herself in the safety of her routines of work and home. Her unique perspective (with a dash of snide humor) had me glued to these pages as I learned of both her past living in New York City, as well as her future in a cult-like group formed after the End. The only downside to me was that the jumping around in time frames felt a little disjointed at times. Overall, this novel breathed new life into the zombie genre - can't wait to read more of Ling Ma's work!

Truly original and manages to live up to the hype. Every bit as breathtakingly gorgeous and painful as everyone says.

I received a copy of this from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really interesting take on what happens after an apocalyptic pandemic. The reader gets to see varying snippets of Candace’s life in each chapter, pre and post pandamic. Her and her family immigrated from China and it depicts her parents struggle to achieve the American dream, to fit in, and later on, Candace’s own struggles with her family. There is an interim period where we get a peek into her work and romantic relationships before the Shen flu, but the most exciting part is the aftermath of when she escapes New York and finds herself smack dab in the middle of a cult like group led by Bob who are making their way to the “facility.”

It was interesting and it held my curiosity but the ending left me wanting. It was because of the mediocre ending that I gave it a 3 rating.

I really do not understand what other reviewers see in this novel. It is an extremely dull apocalyptic novel. Honestly most of the time you don't even remember it is an apocalyptic novel because there is zero happening regarding it. We get huge segments on the production of bibles though. Just, why? Is the author trying to be clever? I failed to see what the slow and odd approach to the apocalypse ultimately did for making this a decent novel. I did not like the MC, I did not like the writing and I did not enjoy the meandering and extremely slow plot. I mean, at least give us some more apocalyptic elements and information FFS. And please authors, I cannot take another giant dick as the "leader" for groups in apocalyptic scenarios, especially religious nuts. You can do anything you want, make it a kick-ass woman so we don't have to deal with the sexism and ego that makes me want to scream.

I liked how deliberately cryptic the author was about the Shen fever. So many dystopian novels are caught up in the whys and hows, and she just cut to the chase and gave us Candace's story. I was also surprisingly pleased that Candace kept going to work: in the face of catastrophe, it makes sense to me that she would do everything possible to hold on to familiar, to routine.

Candace Chen is the typical millennial living in New York, stuck to her routine of working, shopping, and watching movies with her boyfriend in his apartment. Then Shen Fever hits and spreads throughout America, much like the Black Death did in the 1300s. The world comes crashing to a halt as those who are "fevered" go through their routines in a zombie-like state. Candace meets up with other survivors and they travel to The Facility, a safe place where they believe they will be able to live and build society. Candace does not feel like she truly has a place with these survivors, so she debates with herself on leaving and making her own way, looking for other survivors out there. Will she leave The Facility or is she stuck in a new routine?

Severance was toted as a "coming-of-age" novel that takes down the routines and rituals that all of us perform in our day-to-day lives. Yet I felt like this book fell flat. There was just something that did not connect with me while I read and I am not totally sure of what it is. I really did not care about Candace or any of the characters in the survivor group, and that may have been where the book was lacking. I enjoyed the sections about Shen Fever, how it spread, and how it affected the "Fevered" but those were the only redeeming qualities that I found. I think I just wish that this book would have been something different.

Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the ARC.

📖 Severance by Ling Ma.
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I finished this wonderfully bizarre and reflective read yesterday, one I’d highly recommend if you’re yet to get to it.
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The narrative follows Candace Chen in the lead up to and during the apocalyptic Shen Fever. In an stream of consciousness style, we flash between Candace’s present day and her past life - her fastidious devotion to her career in Bible publishing, her relationship with her deceased Chinese immigrant parents, and her navigation of relationships amidst this setting make for a fascinating read. We also experience the closure of the city and her move into her office, capturing the desolation of the city through her photography blog.
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I felt lost in Candace’s thoughts and had a sense of the mental frenzy of post-apocalyptic New York City, but at the same time enjoyed how Ling Ma juxtaposed this against the calming and regimented thoughts of Candace.
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This was a wonderful novel, reminding me of a fusion of Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata and The Book of M by Peng Shepherd.🌟🌟🌟🌟 💫

I can't remember the last time a book drew me in so much that I actually sacrificed sleep to finish it, but Severance did. At the surface it's a post-apocalyptic, coming of age tale set in a parallel universe. When you scratch past the surface you find some insightful social commentary that will leave you examining your life and the things that you do day to day.

The ending initially left me disappointed. I had just sacrificed two hours of sleep for an ambiguous ending?! However, as I'm reflecting I'm realizing just how much the ending doesn't matter. There is enough substance throughout the novel to leave the reader satisfied.

Ling Ma has some serious talent and I'm looking forward to her future work.

"Severance" is a novel that is hard to explain. On the surface, it is the story of Candace Chen, a Chinese-American who is now living in New York City and continues to go to work while the whole world is infected by "Shen Fever", a disease that turns the dead into non-combative zombies. Chen is immune, becomes the last person in New York and she still is showing up for work at her Bible and Art book publishing job, even when the rest of the office is empty and there are no longer any new work to do. She spends more time on her blog, NY Ghost, which chronicles the state of decay to the city when the infrastructure completely collapses. She meets up with another group of survivors, led by Bob, an old IT worker who leads the group across the midwest, to the Facility, a building in Illinois, but also turns into a character reminiscent of the Lotsa bear in Toy Story 3, running the Day Care with a iron fist.

Another aspect is that everyone is trying to go home, and once they get there they lose their mind. With the Shen Fever, people returned to their homes, and even on the way the caravan of those trekking toward the Facility, some of the group run into their former life. Much of the flashback for Candace, living in China, living in Salt Lake City, living in New York City, moving around with her family, makes it feel as if there is no real sense of place for her. Does this make her healthier than the rest of the world, the people who are stuck in a ghost-like loop of activity that is the result of the Shen Fever? And is this the yearning for society, trying to get to a place where we feel like we are home?

I have read through a few of interviews with Ling Ma, and the story of her writing this novel, how she wrote this living off of the severance pay of a layoff, is only one aspect of many interesting ideas. This is a short novel, but there are many ideas and the more that I think about it, the more "Severance" will be a novel that sticks with me. It will not be forgotten anytime soon.

I received this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

Reached the last page and had to fight the need to start this book all over again. This book was a true gem.