Review Detail

All Better Now has a fascinating premise. In a world post-COVID pandemic, a new virus is spreading, but this time, those who recover have fundamentally different outlooks on life. The recoveries, as they come to be called, are kinder, calmer, more empathetic. Many mental illnesses, such as depression, are eradicated in the recovered because all negative emotions, such as regret, anxiety, and anger, are gone. It creates the idea that if you have no driving force or ambition, can you and society survive everyone being like that?
Taking this concept and fully developing all aspects of this idea is the driving force behind this story. For example, it sounds great that the rich who recover suddenly give away all their material wealth. However, those not infected become more fearful of becoming altered and losing everything they care about. The economy and work production are being affected radically, so the elite in power pay for propaganda campaigns to sway public opinion about the dangers of contracting this disease. These euphoric recoveries sound rather wonderful, but there are several “lemming” experiences throughout where someone is in danger and, without thought, plan, or expertise, the recoveries fling themselves at the problem ready to help and end up increasing the death toll.
The story is told in 3 perspectives, Mariel, Morgan, and Ron, plus side stories from other people interacting in this world. I normally base my love on a book by the character development, but this is one of the few times that the characters were a means to explore the concept. Mariel is naturally immune, Ron is a super spreader, and Morgan comes into a large sum of money and a missive to find a vaccine to stop the disease. Through these different perspectives, we can see the progression of the disease and how it all comes to a resolution.
The recoveries are supposed to be docile, but when they believe their condition is a gift and a way to bring about a better world that saves the planet, even they can go to extremes because they are now fanatics. Those filled with fear about change also feel justified in their extreme ideas.
This whole story was deeply thought-provoking. It is well explored and feels believable through most of the book. While reading the story, it is hard not to go down the rabbit hole of what would happen in an xyz scenario if the disease were real. As good as it all sounds, there are convincing reasons why it would be problematic. This book would be a great book club choice or debate class assignment.