I brought this book back with me from my Mom's house in Florida a couple of months ago. I must have quickly skimmed the back and felt that it met my standards. When I finished the last book I was at home and no longer have my library card, so I had to choose from a book on my shelf. I grabbed The Last Town on Earth to check out the back cover, and I couldn't believe that it is a historical fiction novel about the Spanish Influenza outbreak of 1918.Quite apropos, right? After the recent outbreak of swine flu it seemed like the book was just waiting for me to read it. With my job, one would think I have had an overload of epidemics, emergency preparedness, and reminders of the shortcomings of our health system, but I'm a glutton for punishment. So of course I decided to read a book about people dying from the flu-- and to be expected it has re-intensified my fear of people sneezing and coughing in public!
Apparently, the author found an article about how many towns in the Northwest quarantined themselves in an effort to keep the flu out in 1918. He ran with that and concocted a story about the idyllic and peaceful town of Commonwealth unraveling after making the decision to not let anyone in or out until the flu passed.
One of my major critiques of the novel is that it seems like he weaved in too many themes. Of course there is the fear of the flu, but then there is also the war going on and the town is mostly anti-war. Many of the men in town either did not register for the draft or have been spared as necessary workers. They are living and working happily secluded until they make the decision to quarantine themselves.
The author highlights the fact that when people are scared and backed into a corner they will do things you could never imagine. Commonwealth, a town built upon communal values and nonviolent resolutions becomes a free-for-all, each man for himself, and suspicious and blame filled place after the flu enters.
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