Phase Six

More about the book

A gripping novel about the next pandemic, completed by Jim Shepard before COVID-19 emerged, unfolds in a tiny Greenland settlement. Eleven-year-old Aleq and his best friend, frequent trespassers at a mining site, unknowingly bring back dangers from thawing permafrost. As one of the few survivors of the initial outbreak, Aleq grapples with guilt and the burden of being the likely index patient. The narrative also follows two CDC investigators, Jeannine, an epidemiologist, and Danice, an MD, as they work to contain the crisis. Jeannine transitions from a Greenland hospital overwhelmed with patients to a high-security facility in the Rocky Mountains, striving to support Aleq amid chaos. The story weaves together intimate perspectives and a broader view of the political, cultural, and biological megastructures that contribute to such disasters. It emphasizes the vital connections formed during catastrophe, as Aleq and the educated adults around him learn to provide support for each other. Through their journey, they celebrate the precious worlds at stake and strive to shape a future that may endure.