Sarah Pinsker has been thinking about how to survive a pandemic for much longer than any of us; in 2015, she began work on Song for a New Day, a mystery novel set in an America turned upside down by a highly contagious superbug. september 2019 upon its release, Booklist hailed it as "riveting and plausible" and nominated it for the Nebula Award, the highest honor for writers of science fiction and fantasy. But in May 2020, Pinsker's debut novel reads less like an allegory about human connection and more like a nonfiction account of how COVID-19 has destroyed life as we know it.

"I wanted to get this story out of my head, and now we are living in it," Pinsker lamented to Marie Claire with a weary laugh. Her pages detail the restaurant's eerily precise isolation booths, contactless deliveries, virtual gatherings, and WFH's bedroom office. Still, Pinsker doesn't consider herself a prophet. Everything in there is logically possible," she says as she takes refuge in her hometown of Baltimore. I accept it as a risk of writing about the near future: I accept it as a risk of writing about the near future: I accept it as a risk of writing about the near future: I accept it as a risk of writing about the near future."

In Pinsker's book, a fictional disease called simply "pox" never leads to an apocalyptic science fiction scenario. Pinsker admirably avoids the clichés of medical thrillers and films like "The Epidemic," and instead depicts the gradual erosion of society's sense of stability. In one scene, the main character, rock musician Ruth Cannon, convinces a sick bandmate to go to the hospital. When she learns of her bandmate's death a few days later, her bewildered friend says, "I'm sorry. As the lockdown and social evacuation are implemented, Ruth and her roommate make a list on the dry erase board in the kitchen titled "Don't forget normal. Pride parades, school assemblies, outdoor movies, outdoor concerts, baseball games, packed trains, roller derby games ......" . The list took up an entire wall, and one of my roommates created a mural that he turned into an interactive online exhibit.

Ruth's life is overturned by the "Assembly Law," which prohibits large public events, and her tour, and her career, are thrown off track. As a musician herself, Pinsker was motivated to write Song for a New Day by her anxiety about making a living. Especially since music streaming is squeezing musicians' traditional sources of income. If you are one of the millions of ticket holders who received an "indefinite postponement" alert for concerts and music festivals this summer, Pinsker feels your pain. 'We must continue to support our artists,' he said.

"And we have to support the indie stores that are part of that ecosystem."

If Pinsker were only interested in capturing our cultural malaise, Songs for a New Day would have little insight to offer readers today. Instead, the novel jumps forward 12 years to the beginning of the epidemic and shows us a world changed by the pandemic through the eyes of a sheltered 24-year-old Rosemary Rose. Public gatherings are still forbidden, and those who can afford VR-enabled "hoodies" are content to socialize in a virtual reality space. Rosemary's quiet life without social contact, road trips, or even birthday parties (she has vague memories of her childhood) is vividly portrayed and will give you goosebumps. By imagining a generation growing up in the "new normal," the novel is a thought-provoking tribute to the simple pleasures we have not had the pleasure of enjoying for the past two months. Pinsker presents readers with a world that has become commercialized and lost small businesses and local art, and makes them think about what we risk losing as a culture in the long run.

"I believe in remembering what normal is, seeing it for what it is, and improving it," Pinsker says. This reckoning of the old and new unfolds as Rosemary reaches Luce Cannon. After accepting a job as a fledgling talent scout for a company that produces holographic concerts, Rosemary attends her first IRL concert in the basement of Luce's Baltimore brownstone. Pinsker describes Rosemary's reaction to the live band: "She thought she knew what music sounded like in quite a few forms. This was something else entirely. Loud. The kick drum was echoing through her bones". Rosemary, who had never been in a crowded space before, had a panic attack and had to leave during the show.

The final chapter of Song for a New Day describes how Ruth and other underground musicians defy the Assembly Act. When asked about the actual protests over the regulations that are happening now, the author is quick to point out an important difference between the world of the novel and our real-life situation: "Now, radical action is really about following the guidelines of social discrimination, protecting people, and finding new ways to connect. I think." Pinsker is heartened to see the popularity of museum tours and virtual tools that bring live music into the living room. And she hopes that, in many ways, America will not just return to business as usual. As awareness of the daily sacrifices of "essential workers" grows, Pinsker sees the potential for change. She worries that "minimum wage is really too low, and maybe we're valuing the wrong things," she said, adding, "The people who help us every day need to be treated better."

As the title suggests, Song for a New Day ultimately expresses Pinsker's optimism and is cathartic. She resists portraying the future as a doomed dystopia. Pinsker's fictional America, while succumbing to current problems such as domestic terrorism and corporate conglomeration, also references social progress: universal basic income, broad acceptance of gender diversity, and affordable urban housing (after the wealthy flee to the suburbs). When someone says, 'I read your book and it gave me hope,' that's the highest compliment," Pinsker says.

Still, "What are you going to write next? I have several friends who ask, "Then you'll know what to run away from. Her latest novel, written in isolation, can be seen as a cautionary tale about medical implants and the ways in which humans are merging with technology. Given her insights, pre-order We Are Satellites (Penguin Random House), due out in May 2021.

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