A Deep Dive Into A Split-Screen World

Emily St. John Mandel's new novel weaves two unhinged realities into one

By Jonathan Hahn

September 4, 2026

Exit Party

The collapse of an entire society—its politics, its rhythms of daily life—doesn’t happen overnight. It comes progressively, in overlapping waves, until a culture becomes unrecognizable—a brutal truth at the heart of Emily St. John Mandel’s masterpiece novel, Exit Party (Knopf, 2026).

The United States has broken apart into nation-states and warring factions. Civil war and the climate crisis compel cities to wall themselves off. Kareem throws a dinner party, because what else can you do? Ari, who has just been released from prison, arrives to celebrate her freedom. Soon after, partygoers start to literally disappear. Others—their doubles—take their place.

Mandel brilliantly peels this unhinged reality into two worlds—in one, Ari is a criminal; in the other, a police officer—then weaves them together again, defying every expectation. “Who will you be at the end of the world?” Kareem asks. By the end, the question is staring us all in the face.

Jonathan Hahn is the acting editor in chief of Sierra, the national magazine of the Sierra Club, covering environmental protection and public lands conservation, climate change, global trade, energy, and public health. He previously was the founding executive editor of the Los Angeles Review of Books. He has worked in publishing for over 25 years and also served in capacities as varied as strategic adviser, communications director, and managing director on behalf of nonprofit organizations working in the public interest.

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