After the year we’ve had, pandemics (and the world’s response to them) have been a huge topic of discussion. So The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird caught my eye.
It’s about a deadly pandemic that sweeps across continents in a matter of months (sound familiar?), but one that affects only men – and has an extremely high mortality rate. In the end, mostly women are left to pick up the pieces and try to heal a fractured world.
*I received this book for free from the publisher (Putnam Books) in exchange for an honest review.
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The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird: My Thoughts
There were definitely some similarities between what happened in this story and what happened when COVID hit, but it was also different in a lot of ways.
The way it was written, it was like seeing everything from a birds-eye view. Characters all over the world shared their experiences, some doctors working to figure out where the pandemic came from or find a vaccine, some government workers scrambling to keep society in order, and some citizens with heartbreaking choices to make.
I do think this format made it tough to connect with some of the characters as much as I would have liked. It was still packed with emotion, but I had trouble keeping track of who was who at times.
Overall, this was a smart and poignant read! Recommended, as long as you think you can handle reading about another pandemic right now.
Rating: 4 (out of 5) stars
Release date: April 27th, 2021
Looking for more great book recommendations? Check out my list of exciting April 2021 Fiction Book Releases!
