Severance by Ling Ma

Severance is the story of a millennial woman, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, living in New York when the world is hit by a fungus pandemic. Candace Chen remains devoted to her uninspired job and staunch in her routines in order to cope, while the victims of the fungus - known as "the fevered" - are found going through the motions of their normal daily lives with a complete lack of consciousness until they ultimately die. A terrific and sardonic take on the human veneration of routine, capitalism, and a sort of modern-day millennial american dream; and our ability - or lack thereof - to come to terms with reality.

The topic may hit close to home in the current global crisis, but it's an easy and fun read that pokes a finger in the side of our current *way of life.* This is not like many other books in this genre, neither thriller nor plot-heavy nor apocalyptic survival. This is character-driven prose, and I would recommend this witty, poignant, and meditative book to anyone!

Ling Ma is an award-winning Chinese American writer, and Severance won the 2018 Kirkus Prize.

by Breana Barak