Author: Neal Shusterman

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

ISBN: 9781534432758

When a new pandemic begins, the world is thrown into chaos. 

As scientists, conspiracy theorists, and talking heads converge on what to do next, three teens they have to follow through on the decisions everyone else is just considering. 

Veteran author Neal Shusterman returns with an interesting premise that begins to meander in his latest book All Better Now.

All anyone can talk about these days is Crown Royale, the bizarre new virus that is charging across borders and continents with no known cause or cure. If people thought Covid-19 was bad, Crown Royale is worse. The dying is bad, yes, but some are saying surviving is worse.

Those who recover from Crown Royale become completely content. Their desires for material things and pleasures vanishes. Recoverees give away money and personal belongings and spend their days simply grateful to be alive and in the presence of others. If those others are also recoverees, all the better.

In San Francisco, Ron Escobedo is worried he’ll catch the disease because he’s high-risk. A blue-cone deficiency means he can’t see the color blue and also dramatically increases his chances of death if he contracts Crown Royale. Yet in a bizarre way, he also wonders what would happen if he got the illness. 

For the longest time, Ron has suffered from depression and even attempted more than once to take his own life. His billionaire father is freaking out and trying to take care of Ron; his latest plan is making Ron manage the AirBnb they rent out for really cheap. Even though he doesn’t admit it, Ron enjoys meeting the guests.

A mother-daughter pair shows up for a one-night stay, and Ron feels drawn to the daughter. Mariel is about his age, and even her funny comments and confidence attracts Ron. He wishes, more than anything, that he could be that self-assured.

Mariel doesn’t think she’s confident at all. She’s just trying to stay one step ahead of debt collectors and the other sharks after her and her mother. For as long as she can remember, Mariel has been the one fighting to keep her head above water. Her mother is content just to ride life like a lazy river. 

Then her mother contracts Crown Royale and dies in a refugee camp for recoverees, and Mariel feels lost. She was supposed to take care of her mom. Now what will she do? The answer comes in the unlikeliest of ways: Ron has contracted the virus and has come to the camp to get away from his dad. 

Halfway across the world, Morgan Willmon-Wu has just arrived in England for an unheard-of internship opportunity. Driven and ambitious almost to a fault, Morgan is a certified genius and has found herself outpacing her peers. It’s become boring for her and embarrassing for them. 

That’s why, when she hears about the internship with Dame Glynis Havilland, she jumps at it. Everyone knows the Havilland Consortium is on the cutting edge of almost everything. More than that, Morgan feels like she and Glynis are kindred spirits. Neither of them have a problem being ruthless if need be.

The internship completely changes Morgan’s life, starting with a nearly unlimited cash flow. Soon enough, Morgan knows what she wants to do with the money: find a way to stop Crown Royale. 

With the virus gone, people will start spending again and continue to keep billionaires like her afloat. As the world continues to grapple with this latest pandemic, Ron, Mariel, and Morgan will cross paths in unexpected ways and discover that the definition of contentment means something different to everyone.

Author Neal Shusterman gives readers a fully-realized story world. Early on he establishes his three protagonists with a thoughtful, careful approach. 

That detailed world-building, however, ultimately becomes the weight dragging the story down. Early chapters will carry readers without a problem because of the novelty of Shusterman’s invented virus. 

After a while, however, it feels like Ron and Mariel in particular are waiting for something to do. A road trip makes this a literal journey that only works some of the time. 

Likewise, Morgan’s driving need to prove herself better than everyone else all the time may intrigue readers at the outset. Later, her selfishness seems to be her only defining characteristic. Morgan’s part of the climax feels a little melodramatic, and even with the last page readers may feel like they’ve had enough of her.

Parts of the book are highly entertaining in how they portray pandemic conditions, however, and most of Shusterman’s narrative observations are on point. 

Those wanting to read a pandemic story with a twist might want to check this out. I recommend readers Borrow All Better Now by Neal Shusterman.