All Better Now by Neal Shusterman tracks the consequences of a new pandemic (post COVID). This one is called Crown Royale and its effects are either death or intense well being and care for humanity.
The book follows multiple characters. One group is completely against the virus and will do anything to eradicate it. They feel that those who recover are mindlessly happy.
One of these characters is Morgan. She is a savvy girl who is given an entire estate in order to accomplish this mission. People are expendable in her drive to avoid exposure and to accomplish notoriety. Glynis Havilland is the formerly wealthy tyrant who left her entire fortune to Morgan. Now as a recoveree, she is trying to figure out how to stop her.
Meanwhile, the wealthy son of another one of Morgan’s donators recovers from the virus as a super spreader. He teams up with Mariel. It turns out that she has natural immunity. They are on the run together to avoid Tiburon’s dad and the authorities. As they travel, Ron feels pulled to spread Crown Royale to as many people as possible while Mariel attempts to control how it’s spread.
All the events and characters cross paths once Mariel is taken to create a cure. However the cure may be worse than the virus itself.
Overall this book kept my interest. Shusterman pulls many characters and subplots together with great writing. It raises the question of whether a virus akin to a happy pill could make the world a better place or not.
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