The Thin White Line: A History of the 2012 Avian Flu Pandemic in Canada

by Craig DiLouie

On September 15, 2012, a restaurant worker enters a hospital in China's Guangdong province complaining of flu symptoms. This single event ignites a conflagration of disease that burns its way around the world, leaving death, recession, revolution and war in its wake. In THE THIN WHITE LINE: A History of the 2012 Avian Flu Pandemic in Canada, Craig DiLouie presents a terrifying vision about how a pandemic might unfold, focusing on the Canadian experience but relevant to any country. Reading as if it were a non-fiction book describing a pandemic that has already happened, THE THIN WHITE combines a realistic, meticulously researched scenario with dramatic firsthand accounts of people who survived these tragic times. Global health officials have warned the world that a flu pandemic is an inevitable part of our future, just as it has been a frequent part of our past. In THE THIN WHITE LINE, our worst nightmare comes true.

224 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2008

About the author

Craig DiLouie is an author of popular thriller, apocalyptic/horror, and sci-fi/fantasy fiction.

In hundreds of reviews, Craig’s novels have been praised for their strong characters, action, and gritty realism. Each book promises an exciting experience with people you’ll care about in a world that feels real.

These works have been nominated for major literary awards such as the Bram Stoker Award and Audie Award, translated into multiple languages, and optioned for film. He is a member of the HWA, International Thriller Writers, and IFWA.

Reviews

[Peter Rosch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt pretty good about this book going into it, and I wasn't disappointed. It was extremely thorough in its depiction of the very real situations that might arise from the next real pandemic. Had this book been purely fiction, and not based in history, science, and written with a design on keeping it realistic, it is possible I might not have enjoyed it as much as I did. There's a good chance that many people won't find it appealing. It isn't a 28 Days-style free for all, with crazies running the streets trying to infect people, and for that reason alone (its premise being based in what mostly likely will happen at some point) I think people should read it. There's a lot to think about in the world, and even though I've seen Contagion and a host of other pandemic/virus films, those films, because they were films, did not do the best job at detailing how this all will happen, and how it will manifest over time, and what the extended consequences of a such a thing will most likely entail. The Thin White Line does that, and does it well.

All in all, worth reading, possibly speed reading at times as it gets a touch heavy on the exact stuff that makes it remarkably accurate, and then doing your best to keep your sneezes to yourself! My own paranoia didn't really need more amo, but it got it–thanks fellas!

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a really cool premise and a bad delivery. It was a history of a future outbreak of AI. But the beginning was pretty dry, even for an epidemiologist. The author had obviously done some research, but it wasn't quite to the level that it needed to be. After getting through the first half, the book improved. It addressed the typical aspects of a pandemic, but also touched on some I hadn't thought about. If this is how our society will truly react to a pandemic, I'm not as scared as I was before.