This was my third Emily St John Mandel. While I enjoyed the pacing and story of Station Eleven far more, I recognize that Montreal was actually her first published work. Wow she has grown as a writer!

What didn't work for me was pacing felt off, the end came to a screeching halt, and I had to intentionally choose to ignore some of the unbelievable plot points. I was left feeling a little disoriented. I'm okay with not having a happy ending, but this was a more haunting ending than I personally care for.

What worked was diving into the themes of memory and isolation and loneliness, I was rooting for each character, it made me want to visit Montreal, and St John Mandel's writing style is poetic at times(unlike this review).