Author David Arrowsmith successfully transfers his moody, evocative writing style he honed with the short story triptych Nevada Noir to long form with his post-apocalyptic novel Corona.

I enjoyed the premise – a kind of alternate history…what if the recent pandemic was even worse than it was and lead to the complete collapse of civilization? For awhile the book was a well-written retread of novels like The Road, but it took an interesting turn after a bit of the old ultra violence. It turned into a searing relationship drama about The Man, Lucy, and eventually Eve, with beautifully wrought, soaring, elegiac passages about a difficult decision ultimately made. I’ll forever remember the garden and the greenhouse in the dark and the rain.

I also liked that it ended on a more hopeful note than most books of this ilk.

Highly recommended.

Review by D. H. Schleicher