4.08: A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen (With Guest Host Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne)

NovelClass

On today’s episode, host Dave Pezza is joined by Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne, author of the novel Holding on to Nothing, and they discussed A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen.

Published on January 14, 2020 by Mira Books, A Beginning at the End thrusts its readers into a world ravaged by a pervasive respiratory virus that has killed over 70% of the global population. Six years after the outbreak, the world is rebuilding. What remains of humanity has been condensed into a string of metros, former cities where civilization endures and infrastructure and normalcy have been hastily restored. In the center of the San Francisco metro, Chen’s three main characters, Moira, Krista, and Rob, face both mundane and extraordinary challenges as they attempt to run from their past lives, rebuild their current, and face the uncertain future that binds them together.

In his third novel, Chen imagines life brought to its knees by the not only the physical devastation of a deadly pandemic but the emotional destruction as well. His impressively considered and executed portrayal of the contemporary American psyche during times of disaster and devastation allowed Chen to present a fictional United States that at times was mirrored by a real-world pandemic that spread throughout the globe only a couple months after the book’s publication. This eerie portend, in combination with his well developed and emotionally mature characters, allows A Beginning at the End to shine.

Today's episode is sponsored by Libro.fm.