BookBrowse Reviews The Memory of Animals by Claire Fuller

Set almost entirely in a secure hospital unit in near-future London, The Memory of Animals follows Neffy, a former marine biologist in her 20s, and four fellow volunteers of an experimental vaccine trial. The world has been ravaged by a virus that causes swelling of vital organs. Just as the attempt to find a vaccine begins, a new, far deadlier variant that also targets the brain begins to spread like wildfire. As the streets descend into chaos and the medical staff die or flee, Neffy and the others must find a way to survive within the relative safety of the unit, all while juggling their grief for those left behind in the outside world, tensions within the group, a dwindling food supply and the ever-pressing reality that they may be the last remnants of humanity.

Though the novel very much stands on its own merits, parallels with the Covid pandemic are impossible to ignore. Mention ...