The End of October Summary
Lawrence Wright

The End of October Overview

In the historical fiction novel End of October by Lawrence Wright, the author builds on factual world events and situations to project what might happen if a worldwide pandemic occurred. Henry Parsons, Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases with the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, works against the clock to try to contain a fatal, flu-like disease while trying to find a cure or vaccination for it. Simultaneously, in the world arena, hate and fear climax against Russia because many believe the country has engineered the disease as a form of bio-warfare. Themes in the novel include the dangers of trying to play God, alternate forms of war, and comparisons of the modern pandemic to the 1918 pandemic.