Eventually, there will be a flood of them. Books written about (and some, no doubt, during) our collective and oh-so-individual experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic. But now, two years after the early days of quarantine and lockdown and forming “pods” with those we love (or perhaps don’t), the books are just starting to trickle in.

I decided to read a few of them to get an early take on what the “pandemic literature” might look like this time around. I’ve always had a soft spot for such books...