This is plot-driven rather than character-driven storytelling, with parts rather like a textbook on infectious disease. I did not enjoy reading it and would not tackle another book by this author.
I really enjoyed this book. I would agree with what another reviewer said, "ignore the vine review." "The End of October" tells the story of a new virus that begins in a refugee camp in Indonesia. It is told from the viewpoint of a doctor who works for the CDC who identifies the disease when it is about to get swept under the rug by the Indonesian government. It does include medical "jargon" but not to the degree that one can't understand what they are talking about. The story is frightening in telling what could happen with an even deadlier disease than what we are all dealing with in the coronavirus. What is even more frightening though is the "blame game" that goes on between the various disagreeing countries which leads to ever deadlier planted viruses. The story isn't just medical though, the doctor has a family whose story is very well told and other memorable characters. The resulting deaths are similar in magnitude to those experienced in the 1918 pandemic with the left-behind children and the destruction of society that would accompany a pandemic of that proportion. And of course, the warring nations start taking advantage of other countries weaknesses by inflicting further harm. In all, it is a frightening picture and an engrossing read. The book is well researched and the author does a good job of describing what could happen.
Very scary story but most stories about killer viruses are. For lovers of The Hot Zone, I think they will enjoy this one as well. There is a lot of facts given throughout the book that are tied in with this fictional account of a virus gone rampant around the world. It was educational learning about past viruses, where they came from and how they worked on conquering them. Mixed in those facts is the story of a horrific virus that they have never seen the likes of, it is killing so many people and they can't figure out what to do. It kept my attention throughout the whole book. I did feel that after all that we went through, the ending was kind of rushed. Definitely not for everyone during this time period in our life.
