VIRAL

Ready, the author of All the Angels Were Jewish (2016), explores the onslaught of a deadly virus and the heartbreak and heroism that emerge in its wake in this apocalyptic thriller.

A mutated avian virus spreads unabated across the world, thanks in part to denial and misjudgment from those in authority. The flu affects millions, but the author highlights the experiences of specific people, including Leyla, an Egyptian nurse who treated two infected children, and Yunan Qiuyue, a Chinese processing plant worker who’s exposed to contaminated meat. Ready’s wide-ranging narrative unfolds at a rapid pace in short, tightly written chapters that flicker between many different locations and events. His thorough research makes his heroic characters seem credible, and many emerge with valor from personal tragedy; they include California deputy sheriff Matt Relford, who loses a colleague, a lover, and nearly his own life only to emerge as a protector of the incarcerated; and two remarkable women: Karen Llewellyn-Craig, an officer in the U.S. Public Health Service, and Dr. Zhao Xiang of the Chinese Ministry of Health. The latter pair play a critical, though sometimes-unseen, role in global antiviral mobilization efforts. The novel’s events are set against a recognizable backdrop of misinformation as characters struggle to reconcile their fears and responsibilities. Yet just when hope seems lost, Zhao undertakes an act of clandestine courage that changes the course of the crisis, signifying a new approach to pandemic response. It would have been very easy for such terrifying subject matter to become emotionally overwrought, but Ready effectively balances his somber themes with a feeling of genuine suspense while also drawing numerous parallels to the real-life COVID-19 pandemic.

A page-turning tale that ably blends tension and political intrigue with a celebration of human resilience.