All Better Now is the new YA novel from Neal Shusterman. As he has demonstrated with his Unwind and Scythe series, Shusterman is the master of hi-concept science fiction. In All Better Now, the premise is simple: What if the world was hit by another pandemic? More than that though, what would happen if surviving the pandemic made you happier?
What Is All Better Now?
“Crown Royale” is sweeping the globe. It kills about 1 in 20 people, but those who survive experience utter contentment. They cast aside material things, they do everything they can to help their fellow human.
Would this make the world a better place?
Not if you’re a multinational corporation. If the survivors want to save the planet, are happy to “make do and mend,” and don’t need retail therapy, how will you make money? What’s good for humanity might not be good for the economy and deep pockets can go a long way when solving a crisis.
A cure for Crown Royale must be found, but is it for the right reasons?
Thrown into this are Mariel and Rón; two people from very different walks of life. They each have their own reasons for traveling together but both are targets of the authorities searching for a cure for Crown Royale. Unable to trust anyone, Mariel and Rón flee across an America reshaped by fear, loathing, and a big slice of happiness.
Why Read All Better Now?
GeekDad Jonathan also recently checked out All Better Now.
I would broadly agree with Jonathan’s thoughts on the book. Its broad themes are interesting, even if the story requires the reader to stretch their sense of belief. The book is also a little long. The middle section flagged, and I found myself wanting the story to speed up so I could see where all this going.
Nevertheless, there is lots of good stuff in All Better Now. The idea of a world where we became alturstic as a species is interesting and worthy of examination. Further to that, what percentage chance of death would you take if you knew contentment lay on the other side?
I liked the idea that pure altruism is not always a good thing. Put most baldly in the book, what is the point in jumping into the sea to save someone if you can’t swim? Shusterman uses this contentment device to ask lots of similar questions.
More interesting was the book’s examination of how information and misinformation inform our opinions and actions. These topics are hot-button issues right now. It was helpful to access an analysis of the good and ill of social media and self-preserving companies through themes not rooted in reality. It’s a clever way of interrogating current social politics while avoiding deeply polarizing topics.
Shusterman always delivers a thoughtful read. All Better Now is no exception. It’s an interesting meditation on power and the nature of happiness and shines a light on the car crash that is massive and continual global consumption. A world filled with Corona Royale survivors might well be a better one. All Better Now asks whether it would be worth the cost and whether humankind would ever allow itself to get there.
While never reaching the visceral shocks of Unwind, All Better Now is still thoughtful science fiction that asks the reader to question their basic assumptions about the world around them. This has always been Shusterman’s strength and again shows why he makes an excellent writer of young adult fiction.
If you would like to pick up a copy of All Better Now you can do so here, in the US, and here, in the UK. (Affiliate Links)
If you enjoyed this review, check out my other book reviews, here.
I received a copy of this book in order to write this review.
