I've read quite a few post-apocalyptic stories, but this one surpassed them all. 
 One would think that the most interesting aspect of life after disaster would be how the disaster occurred and how to survive, i.e. the aspects specifically related to this new life and its circumstances. Mandel, however, shifts the focus to getting back to something resembling life. 
 Instead of fixating on the taboos of the apocalypse and the inherent strangeness of its survivors, she reminds us that even when fewer than one percent of the population remains, that population has a duty to leave the past behind and move confidently into the future - finding ways on its own rather than leaning on the luxuries of a life few can even remember.