Weekend Writing: Books About Pandemics

Unless you're living under a rock (which you might be now), you know the world is currently in a crisis with the COVID-19 pandemic. The coronavirus outbreak continues to prompt more cancellations and safety measures. People are staying home, hoarding toilet paper, and you might find yourself with more time on your hands than you probably planned for this month.

If you're feeling bored, pick up a book. Read while you're distancing yourself from social interaction. The coronavirus outbreak is a very serious health crisis and we need to be cautious. However, if you're an introvert, like me, staying at home and reading a book is probably second nature to you.

There are plenty of good books to read, but if you want to read books that are relevant to today's crisis, I'm recommending five books about pandemics. These books can help you wrap your head around this scary situation. Pick up one of these books to help stave off cabin fever, and then go wash your hands.

1. "Station Eleven" - Emily St. John Mandel 

Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven (photo/Goodreads).

Emily St. John Mandel's 2015 novel, Station Eleven, just became more relevant. The story begins on a stage at a Toronto theater, where Kirsten Raymonde witnesses Arthur Leander, a famous Hollywood actor, having a heart attack during a production of King Lear. This sparks a deadly pandemic known as the Georgia Flu, which spreads around the world. Within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.

From there, the book weaves between timelines as it unspools Arthur's past and the world's future. In this future, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians called the Traveling Symphony. They stop at settlements to perform Shakespeare and Beethoven for residents. They're dedicated to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive.

Could art and music restore humanity? That's something to think about.

2. "Severance" - Ling Ma 

Ling Ma's Severance (photo/Amazon).

In Ling Ma's 2018 satirical science-fiction novel, Severance, Candace Chen has a soul-crushing 9-to-5 job at a Manhattan publishing house that outsources novelty Bibles with semi-precious stones to a factory in China. The Chinese workers are dying from lung disease because of their poor working conditions.

Soon, the Shen Fever spreads throughout the world, turning the population into zombies who are doomed to repeat the same actions until they die. Candace and her colleagues find refuge in a mall, where they turn to Google to figure out how to survive the apocalypse. While Severance is a pandemic-zombie-dystopian novel, it is also a relatable story that could be relevant to today's crisis.

3. "The Dreamers" - Karen Thompson Walker 

Karen Thompson Walker's The Dreamers (photo/Amazon).

In Karen Thompson Walker's 2019 science-fiction novel, The Dreamers, a plague has taken over a small college town in southern California. One by one, the college students fall asleep into a heightened state of dreaming, but they never wake up.

Survivors are forced into quarantine on campus and forbidden from leaving or they will spread the illness to the wider population. How far will people go in order to survive? The Dreamers is a gripping, moving novel overflowing with humanity.

4. "Wilder Girls" - Rory Power 

Rory Power's "Wilder Girls" (photo/Amazon).

Rory Power's 2019 coming-of-age novel, Wilder Girls, was one of the more popular novels of 2019. The body horror novel is set at an all-girls boarding school on an isolated island currently under quarantine. A year-and-a-half ago, a disease known as "The Tox" spread through the school. Those who survived grew second spines or had scales on their skin. Not even the wildlife on the island is immune to the epidemic.

One by one, the girls begin to disappear and it's up to their friends to find out what has happened to them. We hope nothing like this happens now with the coronavirus, but this novel gives you a unique perspective on being quarantined.

5. "The Last Man" - Mary Shelley 

Mary Shelley's The Last Man (photo/Barnes & Noble).

Mary Shelley was an inventive writer, best-known for Frankenstein. However, her 1826 novel, The Last Man, is regarded as the first post-apocalyptic novel of the genre. The novel, set in 2100 England, focuses on a plague that has left only one man alive, Lionel Verney. The novel reflects Shelley's personal grief over the deaths of her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and her good friend, Lord Byron. 

The novel's grimness alienated 19th-century readers, and the book faced harsh reviews and poor sales upon publication. However, it has now achieved new popularity and critical acclaim. It is a testament to our own apocalyptic fear. What would you do if you were last living human on the planet? That's a scary thought.

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It might be scary to read about pandemics and severe illnesses, but these novels are a bold, honest perspective on these situations. It provides you with the information you need to consider. Books can explain things to you better than any other way. If you feel confused, turn to a book. It can be a source of comfort when you really need it.

Sit down and read a book. What else are you going to do when you're home?

-KJL-