369:, 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
218:
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
225:
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
217:
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
233:
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
234:
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
247:
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
226:
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
29:
262:
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
363:, "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
210:. 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
406:'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."
785:
390:" 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
275:
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
222:, 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.
496:
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."
178:
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
190:
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
1430:
1400:
291:
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.
140:. It follows Candace Chen, an unfulfilled Bible product coordinator, before and after an incurable infection slowly obliterates global civilization.
1415:
1370:
332:
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.
1405:
119:
651:
1355:
341:
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.
326:
Janelle Sasha Smith: A brave, thoughtful survivor who befriends Candace. She is killed by Bob when she attempts to shield a fevered Ashley.
1189:
1420:
760:
558:
394:
review states that "laced within its dystopian narrative is an encapsulation of a first-generation immigrant’s nostalgia for New York."
1390:
1380:
163:
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
822:
1375:
848:
323:
Robert "Bob" Eric Reamer: A former I.T. guy who has become the ruthless, quasi-religious leader of the traveling survivor group.
1385:
1003:
144:
explores themes of nostalgia, modern office culture, monotony, and intimate relationships. The novel, Ma's debut, won the 2018
266:
Ruifang Yang: Candace's mother. Worked as an accountant in China, before moving to the U.S. for her husband's graduate degree.
591:
1395:
379:
1365:
182:
in the United States. Some people are inexplicably immune to the fever and try to survive during the slow apocalypse.
1060:
1410:
483:
206:-based publishing company called Spectra, overseeing the overseas production of elaborate design variations of the
1360:
1163:
734:
522:
71:
1299:
1425:
202:, living on her inheritance from her parents following their deaths, before acquiring an unfulfilling job at a
1086:
951:
519:
625:
735:"Chicago author Ling Ma never thought she'd write a zombie apocalypse novel. Here's what changed her mind"
977:
926:
708:
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680:
541:
475:
335:
Rachel Sara Aberdeen: A member of the survivor group who serves as Candace’s guard at the Facility.
900:
354:
172:
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685:
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566:
468:
387:
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681:"'Office politics is, to some degree, horrifying' - Ling Ma on her horror-satire 'Severance'"
370:
133:
60:
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417:
408:
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Seth: Candace's boss, the Senior Product Coordinator of Gifts and Specialty at Spectra.
195:
1349:
462:
199:
1011:
450:
423:
145:
1274:
211:
1245:
28:
849:"Ling Ma's 'Severance' a gripping bildungsroman in the midst of an apocalypse"
500:
429:
797:
603:
570:
227:
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168:
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for Fiction and was included on many prominent Best Books of 2018 lists.
99:
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444:
365:
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137:
42:
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called it, "a gripping bildungsroman in the midst of an apocalypse."
303:
Edgar: The secondary operations director at Phoenix Sun and Moon Ltd.
191:
279:
Lane: Senior Product Coordinator in Art at Spectra. Becomes fevered.
978:"Best Books of 2018: Fiction & Nonfiction – Feature | BookPage"
652:"Ling Ma's "Severance" Captures the Bleak, Fatalistic Mood of 2018"
207:
313:
Eddie: A taxi driver who drives Candace to the Spectra offices.
403:
300:
Balthasar: an operations director at Phoenix Sun and Moon Ltd.
823:"In 'Severance,' The World Ends Not With A Bang, But A Memo"
230:
is somehow related to the mindless routines of the fevered.
1004:"The Best of the Bunch: Bookish's Favorite Books from 2018"
518:
was awarded the 2018 Kirkus Prize for Fiction and the 2019
1300:"Announcing the 2019 Young Lions Fiction Award Finalists"
338:
Genevieve Elyse Goodwin: A member of the survivor group.
297:
Delilah: a Spectra employee in the Art Books department.
482:
included it on a list of possible winners for the 2019
525:. It was a finalist for 2019 the PEN/Hemingway award.
329:
Adam Patrick Robinson: A member of the survivor group.
198:
in her youth. In her twenties, Candace drifts through
269:
Zhigang Chen: Candace's father, an insurance analyst.
386:Ma said she "felt pressured to write a traditional
175:unfold differently due to the Shen Fever pandemic.
113:
105:
95:
87:
77:
67:
56:
48:
38:
901:"The Best Books of 2018, According to Our Editors"
344:Todd Henry Gaines: A member of the survivor group.
272:Jane: Candace's NYU roommate who works in fashion.
1164:"Predicting the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction"
709:"In 'Severance,' Ling Ma Destroys New York City"
761:"The End Is Near in Two Dystopian Debut Novels"
559:"The End Is Near in Two Dystopian Debut Novels"
1221:"Post-Apocalyptic Books That'll Freak You Out"
507:received "rave" reviews, based on 19 reviews.
402:It was a New York Times Notable Book of 2018.
415:It was included on annual Best Book lists at
8:
927:"The Absolute Best New Books Of August 2018"
21:
1087:"The A.V. Club's 10 favorite books of 2018"
1190:"Severance by Ling Ma – Review | BookPage"
733:Borrelli, Christopher (January 15, 2019).
27:
20:
759:Hitchens, Antonia (November 21, 2018).
557:Hitchens, Antonia (November 21, 2018).
533:
492:called it an "astounding debut novel."
1034:"Mental Floss's 56 Best Books of 2018"
816:
814:
1325:"PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel"
592:"11 New Books We Recommend This Week"
543:SEVERANCE by Ling Ma | Kirkus Reviews
7:
1431:Fiction about diseases and disorders
1111:Staff, Jezebel (December 13, 2018).
1085:Club, The A. V. (December 5, 2018).
847:Tsouderos, Trine (August 13, 2018).
674:
672:
1059:Fallon, Claire (December 6, 2018).
952:"The 28 Best Fiction Books Of 2018"
899:Claire, Marie (December 12, 2018).
821:Schaub, Michael (August 19, 2018).
679:Schaub, Michael (August 24, 2018).
499:According to the review aggregator
294:Carole: Human Resources at Spectra.
171:, China. Real world events such as
1401:Literature by Asian-American women
1138:"Fiction's 10 Best Scenes of 2018"
1010:. December 4, 2018. Archived from
650:Fan, Jiayang (December 10, 2018).
14:
136:novel by Chinese-American author
1113:"Our Favorite Books of the Year"
707:Morgan, Adam (August 14, 2018).
288:Michael Reitman: CEO of Spectra.
1416:Farrar, Straus and Giroux books
1371:American science fiction novels
626:"Crying At The Playboy Office"
1:
1406:Debut science fiction novels
624:Ma, Ling (August 10, 2018).
1356:2018 science fiction novels
1304:The New York Public Library
874:"The 29 Best Books of 2018"
786:"100 Notable Books of 2018"
238:, planning for the future.
1447:
1421:Kirkus Prize-winning works
1061:"The Best Fiction Of 2018"
484:Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
285:Manny: Doorman at Spectra.
523:Young Lions Fiction Award
72:Farrar, Straus and Giroux
26:
1391:Feminist science fiction
1381:Novels about office work
1376:Novels set in the 2010s
1246:"Book Marks reviews of
713:Chicago Review of Books
373:films while working on
1386:American zombie novels
792:. November 19, 2018.
598:. November 30, 2018.
16:2018 novel by Ling Ma
1396:Literature by women
1168:Electric Literature
1144:. December 18, 2018
880:. December 28, 2018
480:Electric Literature
409:The Chicago Tribune
359:review stated that
308:During the pandemic
33:First edition cover
23:
1366:Apocalyptic novels
1331:. January 28, 2019
1225:www.refinery29.com
1040:. December 5, 2018
984:. November 7, 2018
958:. December 7, 2018
931:www.refinery29.com
853:chicagotribune.com
790:The New York Times
765:The New York Times
739:chicagotribune.com
596:The New York Times
563:The New York Times
355:The New York Times
173:Occupy Wall Street
159:takes place in an
1411:2018 debut novels
1219:Nicolaou, Elena.
925:Nicolaou, Elena.
686:Los Angeles Times
388:immigration novel
180:societal collapse
161:alternate history
125:
124:
120:978-0-374-26159-7
88:Publication place
1438:
1361:Satirical novels
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1200:on June 29, 2019
1196:. Archived from
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380:The Walking Dead
134:post-apocalyptic
79:Publication date
61:Post-apocalyptic
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1279:Kirkus Reviews
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1333:. Retrieved
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1198:the original
1194:BookPage.com
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982:BookPage.com
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905:Marie Claire
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146:Kirkus Prize
141:
128:
127:
126:
18:
1329:PEN America
1250:by Ling Ma"
770:January 23,
744:January 23,
718:January 23,
661:January 23,
635:January 23,
377:, and also
212:Puget Sound
194:, China to
1350:Categories
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529:References
501:Book Marks
494:Refinery29
430:Refinery29
242:Characters
132:is a 2018
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1275:"Ling Ma"
1248:Severance
798:0362-4331
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571:0362-4331
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505:Severance
463:A.V. Club
441:BookPage,
398:Reception
375:Severance
361:Severance
276:contract.
228:nostalgia
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1335:June 29,
1309:June 29,
1284:June 29,
1230:June 29,
1204:June 29,
1174:June 29,
1148:June 29,
1122:June 29,
1096:June 29,
1070:June 29,
1065:HuffPost
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1018:June 29,
988:June 29,
962:June 29,
936:June 29,
910:June 29,
884:June 29,
878:ELLE.com
858:June 29,
832:June 29,
803:June 29,
692:July 15,
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576:June 29,
490:BookPage
476:Vulture.
436:Buzzfeed
250:NY Ghost
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100:Hardback
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1117:Jezebel
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445:Bookish
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236:Chicago
152:Setting
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796:
602:
569:
511:Awards
349:Themes
263:Sound.
192:Fuzhou
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252:blog.
208:Bible
106:Pages
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1337:2019
1311:2019
1286:2019
1261:2020
1232:2019
1206:2019
1176:2019
1150:2019
1124:2019
1098:2019
1072:2019
1046:2019
1020:2019
990:2019
964:2019
938:2019
912:2019
886:2019
860:2019
834:2019
805:2019
794:ISSN
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746:2019
720:2019
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663:2019
637:2019
611:2019
600:ISSN
578:2019
567:ISSN
520:NYPL
474:and
418:Elle
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115:ISBN
1091:AUX
404:NPR
109:304
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