This combination of photos shows, from left, "The End of October," by Lawrence Wright, "The Red Lotus," by Chris Bohjalian and "Afterland" by Lauren Beukes. Novels coming out now and written before the coronavirus pandemic use plagues to explore everything from gender roles to our own failure to anticipate the worst. (Knopf, from left, Doubleday, Mulholland Books via AP)
March 22, 2020
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March 22, 2020 5:51 p.m.
Plague as art: Over the centuries, many kinds of stories
NEW YORK (AP) — Lauren Beukes, a script and fiction writer, is drawn to narratives that allow her to probe themes of gender and power. For her upcoming novel, “Afterland," she imagined a plot twist in which a disease wipes out virtually the entire male population.