Can You Still Handle Pandemic-Focused Novels?

Who really wants to read a post-apocalyptic book centered around a pandemic these days?

Apparently not many people.

My colleagues know I am an avid reader, so small talk before a video call usually centers around recent book recommendations. In describing the plot of Emily St. John Mandel’s “Station Eleven,” most people asked, “why are you reading that?”

I get it.

There was a detached, almost morbid, curiosity to virus as catalyst for societal destruction stories, because that’s how much of the developed world experienced pre-COVID-19 epidemics.

If there was an outbreak it would be contained — or it would occur in a far-off place — and we could remain safe in our bubble of films, television and literature that stoked our “what if” fears but never made us truly question its reality.

Then it happened.  

And, if you’re like me — a person that has watched every episode of “The Walking Dead” and counts Stephen King’s “The Stand” among my favorite reads — you probably couldn’t help but think about the ways end of days entertainment got it right…or wrong.

The last virus-focused book I finished was Chuck Wendig’s “Wanderers” in November 2019, roughly 16 weeks before COVID-19 officially became a global pandemic.

At the time, I found the story a little too kooky (lots of sci-fi elements) and somewhat inconsistent, but there were also sections — specifically, how he described the social and political fallout — that I thought about frequently over the past 17 months living through something that up until March 2020 felt entirely unfathomable.

That’s why a story, like “Station Eleven,” still has relevance during these “unprecedented times,” because it’s about survival. And, not just surviving but also learning to thrive once again. It centers on acknowledging the ways life has changed, but also celebrating the tiny wins, accepting what is different and moving on.

Thankfully, we didn’t experience the complete societal breakdown portrayed in “Wanderers” and “Station Eleven,” but we all experienced some component of loss that will likely require months, if not years, to process.

From the Bible to “World War Z,” humanity has turned to art and literature to help understand pandemics, which, in reality, are a not infrequent occurrences when you look at world history. And part of that healing and processing comes from being entertained.

That idea is central to the plot of “Station Eleven” with the works of William Shakespeare featuring prominently throughout.

Until reading Mandel St. John’s story, I never considered that Shakespeare lived his entire life in the shadow of the bubonic plague, but it did feature in his works. I’ll take that as a sign that this recent disruption and devastation might produce a rich, long-lasting legacy of art that will help future generations.

So, don’t shy away from the reads with pandemic plots – embrace them – and the shared experience they now offer.