Book Review: The End of October

[Sandy]

Gripping page-turner about the ravages on humanity unleashed by a deadly pandemic. I was enthralled and horrified by events in the book, but amazed more by the fact it was written in 2019 and later published at the beginning of our own Covid-19 crisis. Too many elements from the novel echo what we’ve lived through for the past few months regarding the how society operates, although thankfully, the book’s Kongoli virus wreaks 100x the amount of havoc that Covid has delivered. The characters are artfully written, the storyline moves at a fast pace and the narrator is a multi-dimensional—and reliable—witness. The ending left me puzzled, then stunned by its brilliance. I loved this book and recommend it many times over vs other dystopian or pandemic novels I’ve read this year (Severance, The Pull of the Stars). THIS was the pandemic novel I was searching for!

[Eric]

Thanks for the recommendation. Will add to next year's (growing) to-read list. Curious, coincidence that you posted on Nov 1st?

[Sandy]

Haha - Good spot. I was trying to get through it by Oct 31 because of the name but I missed it by a day!