Title: Annihilation
Publication Year: 2014
Plot: Area X has been cut off from the rest of the world for decades. Nature has reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization. The first expedition returned with reports of a pristine, Edenic landscape; the second expedition ended in mass suicide, the third in a hail of gunfire as its members turned on one another. The members of the eleventh expedition returned as shadows of their former selves, and within weeks, all had died of cancer. In Annihilation, the first volume of Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach Trilogy, we join the twelfth expedition.
The group is made up of four women: an anthropologist; a surveyor; a psychologist, the de facto leader; and our narrator, a biologist. Their mission is to map the terrain, record all observations of their surroundings and of one another, and, above all, avoid being contaminated by Area X itself.
They arrive expecting the unexpected, and Area X delivers—but it’s the surprises that came across the border with them and the secrets the expedition members are keeping from one another that change everything.
Miscellaneous: The inspiration for Annihilation and the Southern Reach Trilogy was a 14-mile (23 km) hike through St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in northwestern Florida. Many of the animals and vegetation that VanderMeer has seen on this hike over the past 17 years appear in the novel. He has said that someday he hopes to do a "Weird Nature" anthology as well.
The readers were not quite sure where to start. But our trusty discussion leader was happy to point out some of his favorite elements of the novel. He was impressed with the way VanderMeer got us into a weird headspace. The narrator isn’t always sure of what they are seeing and hearing, and so the reader is unsure as well. There’s a slow sense of paranoia that hangs over the novel. For example, when the Biologist is looking at the Crawler, she talks a lot about how she can’t quite comprehend what she’s seeing, yet describes it in a way that paints a different picture in the mind of each reader.
We talked about why none of the names of the characters are revealed and they are only known by their profession. One reader said it removes a sense of identity and reduces them to their function. Another reader said it makes it harder to relate to the characters, keeping distance between them and the reader. And yet, another reader said it’s because their death is imminent and we should not be attached to them. It was a bold move by VanderMeer, but they agreed that it made the novel a little more weird and compelling.
This was a peculiar novel to have in a group of books dealing with doubles and duality. The readers had some thoughts on the commentary this novel makes. One reader talked about how the Psychologist had two purposes, and would hypnotize the others. She had a hidden agenda and had to play two parts. One reader pointed out the contrast between the lighthouse and the “tower” that went underground. One was dark and full of mystery while one had journals and other information. The contrast of these two was not lost on the readers.
The narrative structure of the novel also lends itself to this: it’s fragmented and non-linear. There are different timelines and perspectives that are woven together, which creates a sense of doubling and mirroring within the storytelling itself.
Overall, the readers enjoyed the novel. They said they would read the second book in the series. They admit it was one of the stranger novels they’ve ever read. It’s slim, paranoid, and there were some questions that went unanswered. They are more or less okay with unanswered questions…but they would also like some answers.
That’s it for this week. Next week, we’ll be reading The Man in the Empty Suit. It will be our final meeting of the semester. Unfortunately, due to a late start and timing, we won’t be reading 4 3 2 1. We hope you’re reading something good. And stay tuned for our exciting group for the next semester!
Until next time,
E.
If you would like to read Annihilation, check out the links below: