a dystopian pandemic tale that reads eerily similar to COVID. getting lost in the mundane tasks of everyday life and dutifully showing up to our office jobs, we sometimes don’t even notice the ensuing chaos around us. sometimes I wonder if the world has already ended and I’m just too wrapped up in my own mind to notice. 

an apt critique of late-stage capitalism and how workers are often diminished to their functions instead of being valued as individuals. there are so many great details in this book: private security being hired to gaurd empty stores and museums, subtle religious fervor that you don’t notice until it’s too late, and weaving in both climate and pandemic crises. 

an interesting take on the apocalyptic genre as our protagonist spends the majority of her time alone, and if not alone, feeling like she is. while similar in many ways to station eleven, this book is far more melancholy, focusing more on Candace’s inner monologue than her relationships with others, which seem to come secondary to her own survival. 

a novel that begs the question: if the world is ending, do you still do your skincare routine?