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A review by katherineshawwrites
Corona by David Arrowsmith
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Corona is an intriguing vision of what may have happened if the coronavirus pandemic escalated even further to national (and perhaps even global?) societal collapse. I'm always a fan of a "what if" story, and this book prompted several discussions with my husband about what we would have done if this scenario played out in the real world...
There's a very good exploration of the human condition, with some provocative musings on what the pandemic means not only for the human race, but for the earth itself.
As for the plot, it's an enjoyable and gripping personal story, zooming in on The Man, his struggles, history and relationships, and how he copes and survives in this new reality. The interspersing of diary entries with current evens was done well - although I was a little confused about them being out of order at first - unravelling what led to his relationship with Lucy breaking down, and how he survived those first few months after everything collapsed.
The action is done well, with genuinely tense moments and the violence and danger you might expect from such a setting. The surprises in the hospital were a great twist, ratcheting up the sense of danger to great effect. Saying that, I do wish that the events after the hospital were explored a little more, as the story comes to a bit of an abrupt ending for me, even with the quasi-epilogue we're given (although I do like the teaser of what's to come for Lucy and Eve...). I think the setting Arrowsmith has created could be a really rich storytelling source, and I just wish he'd scratched at the surface a little more and fleshed this particular story out into a deeper and more satisfying novel. As the book stands now, it is more a novella with a short - albeit gripping - story that I definitely enjoyed and would recommend for fans of the post-apocalyptic.
There's a very good exploration of the human condition, with some provocative musings on what the pandemic means not only for the human race, but for the earth itself.
As for the plot, it's an enjoyable and gripping personal story, zooming in on The Man, his struggles, history and relationships, and how he copes and survives in this new reality. The interspersing of diary entries with current evens was done well - although I was a little confused about them being out of order at first - unravelling what led to his relationship with Lucy breaking down, and how he survived those first few months after everything collapsed.
The action is done well, with genuinely tense moments and the violence and danger you might expect from such a setting. The surprises in the hospital were a great twist, ratcheting up the sense of danger to great effect. Saying that, I do wish that the events after the hospital were explored a little more, as the story comes to a bit of an abrupt ending for me, even with the quasi-epilogue we're given (although I do like the teaser of what's to come for Lucy and Eve...). I think the setting Arrowsmith has created could be a really rich storytelling source, and I just wish he'd scratched at the surface a little more and fleshed this particular story out into a deeper and more satisfying novel. As the book stands now, it is more a novella with a short - albeit gripping - story that I definitely enjoyed and would recommend for fans of the post-apocalyptic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Medical content, and Car accident