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Severance (novel)

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380:, a job she held from 2009 to 2012. It began as a short story, written in her office during her last few months there; after her layoff, it became a novel which she wrote while living on severance pay. She took four years to write it, and finished the novel at Cornell as part of the work in her MFA program. She said that she watched 229:
little impetus to flee the city as most others do to be with family. Eventually she is the only employee left and is no longer contacted by her superiors. Per Jonathan's parting suggestion to revive her old pursuits in photography, she documents the final days of a deserted New York City's collapsing infrastructure on a blog called
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In the present, a group of other immune survivors finds Candace near death in a New York taxi cab on the shoulder of a highway in Pennsylvania. The quasi-religious group, under the domineering leadership of Bob, is traveling towards "the Facility," which Bob promises to be safe. On the way there, the
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As businesses shut down as the pandemic worsens, Candace accepts a lucrative contract with Spectra to be one of the few to continue to work in the office until a certain date, because keeping the main office open is good for the company's image. Having only distant relatives in China, Candace feels
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The survivors arrive to find that the Facility is an abandoned shopping mall in suburban Illinois, which Bob co-owns and spent much of his youth in, and begin to make a new home there. As punishment for rebellion and due to the discovery of Candace's pregnancy, Bob imprisons her. Candace begins to
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hallucinate the presence of her dead mother, who helps her realize that her safety is only ensured until the birth of her baby. When Candace finds Bob, now fevered, in his nightly routine of walking around the mall, she is able to steal his keys and escape. Candace takes a car and heads for
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Candace Chen: A young woman originally from Fuzhou, Fujian province, China, residing in New York when Shen Fever strikes. Employed at a publishing company called Spectra, Candace is the production assistant in the Bible department. She is also a photographer and secret creator of the
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group follows Bob's rituals to "stalk" houses for supplies, killing (“releasing”) any living fevered people inside. A member of the group who was seemingly healthy succumbs to Shen Fever while visiting her childhood home, leading Candace to theorize that
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Jonathan: Candace's boyfriend for most of the five years she lives in New York City. Jonathan is a disillusioned free spirit, who temps and freelances for enough money to get by. He aspires to write fiction. Leaves the city for Puget
374:, "offers blatant commentary on 'dizzying abundance' and unrelenting consumption, evolving into a semi-surreal sendup of a workplace and its utopia of rules." Ling Ma began the novel while working as a fact checker for 221:. In the early days of the pandemic in 2011, Candace discovers she is pregnant after splitting with her boyfriend, Jonathan, who is disillusioned with the city, consumerism, and capitalism, and plans to sail to 417:'s Michael Schaub said, "A fierce debut from a writer with seemingly boundless imagination" and "A stunning, audacious book with a fresh take on both office politics and what the apocalypse might bring." 796: 401:" while in the MFA program at Cornell, but instead decided to write about otherness and alienation via the trope of zombie apocalypse. Ma's main character is, like her, a first generation immigrant. The 286:
Blythe: a Spectra employee in the Art Books department and Candace’s former Bibles colleague. She flees Manhattan with Delilah for Connecticut before fulfilling the terms of the lucrative skeleton crew
233:, which outlasts major publications and news outlets. When shocked by the realization that she has fulfilled her work contract, Candace is one of the final survivors to escape the city in late 2011. 507:
included it on These Post-Apocalyptic Books Will Freak You Out, saying, "Ma creates a convincing portrait of woman slightly disconnected from the world, even before the virus."
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People infected with Shen Fever repeat old routines compulsively, without consciousness and until death. There is no cure for the fever, and its spread eventually leads to total
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The narrative follows Candace Chen after societal collapse due to the Shen Fever pandemic and in flashbacks to her earlier life. Candace and her parents emigrate from
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Steven Reitman: an author with whom Candace hooks up. He helps her get the Spectra job through his connection with the CEO. Ultimately becomes fevered.
151:. It follows Candace Chen, an unfulfilled Bible product coordinator, before and after an incurable infection slowly obliterates global civilization. 1426: 1381: 343:
Evan Drew Marcher: One of the small subgroup of survivors who makes a pact to splinter from the main group. He overdoses on Xanax at the Facility.
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Ashley Martin Piker: A member of the survivor group who becomes fevered when she returns to her childhood home. She is later killed by Bob.
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Janelle Sasha Smith: A brave, thoughtful survivor who befriends Candace. She is killed by Bob when she attempts to shield a fevered Ashley.
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review states that "laced within its dystopian narrative is an encapsulation of a first-generation immigrant’s nostalgia for New York."
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of the United States up to the end of 2011, before and during a pandemic of the Shen Fever, a fictional fungal infection caused by
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Robert "Bob" Eric Reamer: A former I.T. guy who has become the ruthless, quasi-religious leader of the traveling survivor group.
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explores themes of nostalgia, modern office culture, monotony, and intimate relationships. The novel, Ma's debut, won the 2018
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Ruifang Yang: Candace's mother. Worked as an accountant in China, before moving to the U.S. for her husband's graduate degree.
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in the United States. Some people are inexplicably immune to the fever and try to survive during the slow apocalypse.
1071: 1421: 494: 217:-based publishing company called Spectra, overseeing the overseas production of elaborate design variations of the 1371: 1174: 745: 533: 82: 1310: 1436: 213:, living on her inheritance from her parents following their deaths, before acquiring an unfulfilling job at a 1097: 962: 530: 636: 746:"Chicago author Ling Ma never thought she'd write a zombie apocalypse novel. Here's what changed her mind" 988: 937: 719: 1148: 691: 552: 486: 346:
Rachel Sara Aberdeen: A member of the survivor group who serves as Candace’s guard at the Facility.
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Seth: Candace's boss, the Senior Product Coordinator of Gifts and Specialty at Spectra.
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for Fiction and was included on many prominent Best Books of 2018 lists.
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called it, "a gripping bildungsroman in the midst of an apocalypse."
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Edgar: The secondary operations director at Phoenix Sun and Moon Ltd.
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Lane: Senior Product Coordinator in Art at Spectra. Becomes fevered.
989:"Best Books of 2018: Fiction & Nonfiction – Feature | BookPage" 663:"Ling Ma's "Severance" Captures the Bleak, Fatalistic Mood of 2018" 218: 324:
Eddie: A taxi driver who drives Candace to the Spectra offices.
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Balthasar: an operations director at Phoenix Sun and Moon Ltd.
834:"In 'Severance,' The World Ends Not With A Bang, But A Memo" 241:
is somehow related to the mindless routines of the fevered.
1015:"The Best of the Bunch: Bookish's Favorite Books from 2018" 529:
was awarded the 2018 Kirkus Prize for Fiction and the 2019
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Genevieve Elyse Goodwin: A member of the survivor group.
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Delilah: a Spectra employee in the Art Books department.
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included it on a list of possible winners for the 2019
536:. It was a finalist for 2019 the PEN/Hemingway award. 340:
Adam Patrick Robinson: A member of the survivor group.
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in her youth. In her twenties, Candace drifts through
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Zhigang Chen: Candace's father, an insurance analyst.
397:Ma said she "felt pressured to write a traditional 186:unfold differently due to the Shen Fever pandemic. 124: 116: 106: 98: 88: 78: 67: 59: 49: 912:"The Best Books of 2018, According to Our Editors" 355:Todd Henry Gaines: A member of the survivor group. 283:Jane: Candace's NYU roommate who works in fashion. 1175:"Predicting the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction" 720:"In 'Severance,' Ling Ma Destroys New York City" 772:"The End Is Near in Two Dystopian Debut Novels" 570:"The End Is Near in Two Dystopian Debut Novels" 1232:"Post-Apocalyptic Books That'll Freak You Out" 518:received "rave" reviews, based on 19 reviews. 413:It was a New York Times Notable Book of 2018. 426:It was included on annual Best Book lists at 8: 938:"The Absolute Best New Books Of August 2018" 32: 1098:"The A.V. Club's 10 favorite books of 2018" 1201:"Severance by Ling Ma – Review | BookPage" 744:Borrelli, Christopher (January 15, 2019). 38: 31: 770:Hitchens, Antonia (November 21, 2018). 568:Hitchens, Antonia (November 21, 2018). 544: 503:called it an "astounding debut novel." 1045:"Mental Floss's 56 Best Books of 2018" 827: 825: 1336:"PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel" 603:"11 New Books We Recommend This Week" 554:SEVERANCE by Ling Ma | Kirkus Reviews 7: 1442:Fiction about diseases and disorders 1122:Staff, Jezebel (December 13, 2018). 1096:Club, The A. V. (December 5, 2018). 858:Tsouderos, Trine (August 13, 2018). 685: 683: 1070:Fallon, Claire (December 6, 2018). 963:"The 28 Best Fiction Books Of 2018" 910:Claire, Marie (December 12, 2018). 832:Schaub, Michael (August 19, 2018). 690:Schaub, Michael (August 24, 2018). 510:According to the review aggregator 305:Carole: Human Resources at Spectra. 182:, China. Real world events such as 1412:Literature by Asian-American women 1149:"Fiction's 10 Best Scenes of 2018" 1021:. December 4, 2018. Archived from 661:Fan, Jiayang (December 10, 2018). 25: 147:novel by Chinese-American author 1124:"Our Favorite Books of the Year" 718:Morgan, Adam (August 14, 2018). 299:Michael Reitman: CEO of Spectra. 1427:Farrar, Straus and Giroux books 1382:American science fiction novels 637:"Crying At The Playboy Office" 1: 1417:Debut science fiction novels 635:Ma, Ling (August 10, 2018). 1367:2018 science fiction novels 1315:The New York Public Library 885:"The 29 Best Books of 2018" 797:"100 Notable Books of 2018" 249:, planning for the future. 1458: 1432:Kirkus Prize-winning works 1072:"The Best Fiction Of 2018" 495:Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 296:Manny: Doorman at Spectra. 534:Young Lions Fiction Award 83:Farrar, Straus and Giroux 37: 1402:Feminist science fiction 1392:Novels about office work 1387:Novels set in the 2010s 1257:"Book Marks reviews of 724:Chicago Review of Books 384:films while working on 1397:American zombie novels 803:. November 19, 2018. 609:. November 30, 2018. 27:2018 novel by Ling Ma 1407:Literature by women 1179:Electric Literature 1155:. December 18, 2018 891:. December 28, 2018 491:Electric Literature 420:The Chicago Tribune 370:review stated that 319:During the pandemic 44:First edition cover 34: 1377:Apocalyptic novels 1342:. January 28, 2019 1236:www.refinery29.com 1051:. December 5, 2018 995:. November 7, 2018 969:. December 7, 2018 942:www.refinery29.com 864:chicagotribune.com 801:The New York Times 776:The New York Times 750:chicagotribune.com 607:The New York Times 574:The New York Times 366:The New York Times 184:Occupy Wall Street 170:takes place in an 1422:2018 debut novels 1230:Nicolaou, Elena. 936:Nicolaou, Elena. 697:Los Angeles Times 399:immigration novel 191:societal collapse 172:alternate history 136: 135: 131:978-0-374-26159-7 99:Publication place 16:(Redirected from 1449: 1372:Satirical novels 1352: 1351: 1349: 1347: 1332: 1326: 1325: 1323: 1321: 1307: 1301: 1300: 1298: 1296: 1282: 1276: 1275: 1273: 1271: 1253: 1247: 1246: 1244: 1242: 1227: 1221: 1220: 1218: 1216: 1211:on June 29, 2019 1207:. Archived from 1197: 1191: 1190: 1188: 1186: 1181:. 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Club 452:BookPage, 409:Reception 386:Severance 372:Severance 287:contract. 239:nostalgia 215:Manhattan 168:Severance 153:Severance 140:Severance 79:Publisher 1346:June 29, 1320:June 29, 1295:June 29, 1241:June 29, 1215:June 29, 1185:June 29, 1159:June 29, 1133:June 29, 1107:June 29, 1081:June 29, 1076:HuffPost 1055:June 29, 1029:June 29, 999:June 29, 973:June 29, 947:June 29, 921:June 29, 895:June 29, 889:ELLE.com 869:June 29, 843:June 29, 814:June 29, 703:July 15, 620:June 29, 587:June 29, 501:BookPage 487:Vulture. 447:Buzzfeed 261:NY Ghost 231:NY Ghost 180:Shenzhen 111:Hardback 60:Language 1128:Jezebel 1019:Bookish 838:NPR.org 480:Jezebel 456:Bookish 377:Playboy 247:Chicago 163:Setting 149:Ling Ma 74:fiction 63:English 54:Ling Ma 807:  613:  580:  522:Awards 360:Themes 274:Sound. 203:Fuzhou 50:Author 263:blog. 219:Bible 117:Pages 68:Genre 1348:2019 1322:2019 1297:2019 1272:2020 1243:2019 1217:2019 1187:2019 1161:2019 1135:2019 1109:2019 1083:2019 1057:2019 1031:2019 1001:2019 975:2019 949:2019 923:2019 897:2019 871:2019 845:2019 816:2019 805:ISSN 783:2019 757:2019 731:2019 705:2019 674:2019 648:2019 622:2019 611:ISSN 589:2019 578:ISSN 531:NYPL 485:and 429:Elle 197:Plot 126:ISBN 1102:AUX 415:NPR 120:304 1363:: 1338:. 1313:. 1288:. 1263:. 1234:. 1203:. 1177:. 1151:. 1126:. 1100:. 1074:. 1047:. 1017:. 991:. 965:. 940:. 914:. 887:. 862:. 836:. 824:^ 799:. 774:. 748:. 722:. 694:. 682:^ 665:. 639:. 605:. 576:. 572:. 514:, 497:. 394:. 225:. 1350:. 1324:. 1299:. 1274:. 1245:. 1219:. 1189:. 1163:. 1137:. 1111:. 1085:. 1059:. 1033:. 1003:. 977:. 951:. 925:. 899:. 873:. 847:. 818:. 785:. 759:. 733:. 707:. 676:. 650:. 624:. 591:. 557:. 482:, 476:, 470:, 464:, 458:, 449:, 443:, 437:, 431:, 368:' 20:)

Index

Severance (book)

Ling Ma
Post-apocalyptic
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Hardback
ISBN
978-0-374-26159-7
post-apocalyptic
Ling Ma
Kirkus Prize
alternate history
Shenzhen
Occupy Wall Street
societal collapse
Fuzhou
Salt Lake City
New York City
Manhattan
Bible
Puget Sound
nostalgia
Chicago
The New York Times
Playboy
George Romero
The Walking Dead
immigration novel
NPR
The Chicago Tribune

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