I read this novel because I recently re-read “Station Eleven” (after watching the series) and was reminded of how much I liked it. However, while this book follows the same formula as Station Eleven — seemingly disconnected characters who are unwittingly linked together — the background setting of Station Eleven (a post-pandemic world where almost everyone is dead) is fascinating enough to keep you reading through the storylines and character arcs that end up going nowhere. In this novel, however, the background setting is mundane: A hotel, Toronto, rich people in New York, etc. As a result, I ended up being much more focused on the fact that almost every plot line and character’s story seems to just peter out. As in SE, some things come together at the end, but getting there, in this novel, is a much less satisfying read.