'Why'd you do that?'
'She's sick.' ... Libby's voice was hoarse between coughing fits.
'Jacob's okay. I promise. He's already had it.'
'If he's already had it, he's immune,' Peter said. In Libby's place, Ann would say the same thing. Her heart was thumping. She needed to think. Could she possibly take the baby?
This is one of the many decisions that the Brooks family must make in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. Do you take in the infant son of a dying neighbor? How can you be sure he's immune? Can you put your children at risk?
Carla Buckley has written a spellbinding and believable novel that teases out the questions that would need to be answered in order for basic survival in the face of a fatal illness that is sending thousands to their graves. We follow the Brooks family as they learn to live life under a quarantine with no end in sight. Serious moral choices must be made regarding communicating with neighbors and friends, finding food and learning how to relate to one another in a whole new light. This book is amazing, not only in it's realistic but not over-dramatized scenario, but also in the depth of character development and the way that it manages the complicated relationships between it's characters. If you are a fan of Jodi Picoult, you will enjoy this book. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Buckley's work - I'm off to check the library!
So - would you take the baby?
