Only men are affected by the virus; only women have the power to save us all.
The year is 2025, and a mysterious virus has broken out in Scotland--a lethal illness that seems to affect only men. When Dr. Amanda MacLean reports this phenomenon, she is dismissed as hysterical. By the time her warning is heeded, it is too late. The virus becomes a global pandemic--and a political one. The victims are all men. The world becomes alien--a women's world.
What follows is the immersive account of the women who have been left to deal with the virus's consequences, told through first-person narratives. Dr. MacLean; Catherine, a social historian determined to document the human stories behind the "male plague;" intelligence analyst Dawn, tasked with helping the government forge a new society; and Elizabeth, one of many scientists desperately working to develop a vaccine. Through these women and others, we see the uncountable ways the absence of men has changed society, from the personal--the loss of husbands and sons--to the political--the changes in the workforce, fertility and the meaning of family.
In The End of Men, Christina Sweeney-Baird creates an unforgettable tale of loss, resilience and hope.
I first read this book back in August, and absolutely loved it. With the release date coming up I decided to read it again and give a quick update on my thoughts, now that we're deeper into a real life pandemic.
So:
* I was surprised, although I don't know why, at how quickly the plague hit and how soon it was all over. It's absolutely the pattern for this kind of fiction, but I remembered it taking much longer. The plague hits within the first chapter; the last proper death is at around 40% in, although others are mentioned afterwards. The rest of it is rebuilding and figuring out how to move on.
* As the last time I read, I had trouble with all the different people. That's absolutely a me thing, though.
* It's still creepy, heartbreaking, and unputdownable.
* It's funny reading it now from the point of view of actually being in a pandemic. In August, when I read it first, we hadn't yet settled on most of the protocols we're using now. So, while men do try and stay away from women or sites of infection, and they talk about sterilising packages with hot water, there's no mention of sanitiser, masks, or cohesive social distancing - all the things we take for granted now.
* I would LOVE to see this as a mini series. If it was done properly, I think it could be amazing. Especially the parts at the end, where society as a whole is swinging towards women, with things like properly fitted seatbelts and paramedics being trained on the symptoms of heart attacks in women.
* It would also be quite a hard series to watch, especially the sequences in the delivery suites after the plague, before the vaccine. (And that one particular death starting with T, avoiding spoilers as much as I can!)
Overall, I loved this just as much this time as the first time, and I urge you to give it a go. It is set in a pandemic, but the pandemic isn't the point; it's only the vehicle of change. Please do try it.
The End of Men publishes on the 29th April, 2021. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
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