First published 1985
The world has collapsed. America exists only in its southern regions. Fiskadoro lives in this remnant nation during the Quarantine, a new age that has emerged from global destruction. He navigates this transformed landscape alongside Anthony Cheung and Cheung's ancient grandmother, who has lived for a century and witnessed the world's transformation. The old woman carries memories of the time before, while Fiskadoro and Anthony must find their way in a reality shaped by catastrophe. Their lives intersect in a place where survival demands new forms of connection and understanding. The Quarantine represents both ending and beginning, constraint and possibility. Fiskadoro must discover what it means to grow up when the familiar structures of civilization have vanished, leaving only fragments of the past and the uncertain promise of whatever comes next.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, 21st-century, apocalyptic
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: America, Quarantine
Period: Quarantine, Global Destruction
221 pages · Hardcover · Knopf