Lawrence Wright’s The End of October is a meticulously researched, terrifyingly plausible exploration of a global pandemic, and yet, it took me an unusually long time to get through. Not because it’s bad—far from it—but because I struggled to stay engaged.

The novel is incredibly information-dense, which speaks to Wright’s journalistic background and the depth of his research. The story is both gripping and chillingly realistic, which, ironically, made it harder for me to immerse myself in a post-pandemic world. Reading this now feels like staring into a mirror that reflects both reality and an unsettling alternate future. It’s “too real” in its clinical precision and yet “not real enough” in its omission of virus skepticism, which has become an unfortunate hallmark of modern discourse.

I primarily listened to the audiobook in short bursts, like during quick drives around town. While I was invested enough to want to know how it all played out, I couldn’t bring myself to dedicate significant chunks of my free time to reading it. Still, it earns 4 stars for being both educational and entertaining. Under different circumstances—say, if I’d read it before 2020—I might have enjoyed it far more. As it stands, The End of October is a powerful, thought-provoking work, but one I found challenging to embrace fully in the context of today.