Maybe not the right book to read during a pandemic, or maybe the absolutely perfect book to read.

Ma predicts a lot of what is happening now (fashion masks; money a bigger factor than humanity when making decisions) and she does it in earnest and with occasional dark humor.

Candace could be any of us, and her journey to NYC, then within the city as the fever really runs its course, and then across half of the country to Chicago, is as alien as it is familiar.

Nancy Wu narrates this audiobook and she does so with a strength and vulnerability that add to Candace's character development.