Past This Point by Nicole Mabry

Past This Point is an endlessly exciting novel that will make you cry and make you cheer.

After a litany of failed relationships, Karis Hylen has become something of a loner. She lives in the big city with just her dog for company. In lieu of a social life, Karis has a trusty routine of work as a project manager at a graphic design firm, dog-walking and gourmet home-cooked dinners for one. When an unprecedented flu-like virus sweeps across the eastern seaboard, the hardened personality Karis wears like armor proves to be her salvation.

As the death toll climbs, Karis is determined to remain physically healthy. She doggedly sticks to a daily exercise regimen, all while never venturing outside her apartment. Soon, however, isolation takes its toll. Surely the tree branch innocently scraping the window is an intruder! Those thuds must be footsteps on the roof, right? Despite limited phone contact with her family in California, Karis feels her sanity slipping. She befriends a couple of children in a nearby building that she can talk to without leaving her sanctuary. Karis comes to love these precious girls and forms a close bond with them as the outbreak takes family members and engulfs the entire city.

Soon enough, Karis must leave the safety of her home in search of supplies. Society around her has broken down and basic services are cut off. The only chance for survival is to travel half way across the country to a designated healthy check-point. She meets a man visiting from London who found himself trapped in New York when the quarantines began. Together they forge a tenuous friendship and make a plan for survival.

In all her imperfection, Karis proves to be a completely relatable character. Her insecurities and pent up pessimism are authentic. As she struggles to survive, her inner strength begins to bubble forth. After mastering a daily exercise regimen she concludes, “If I could make myself feel powerful physically, maybe I could make myself feel powerful mentally.” Besides renewed self-confidence, Karis proves to be clever and resourceful. She foils an assailant with just a bottle of cooking oil in one chapter and reverse engineers a deadbolt to keep herself safe in another. And what do you do when you spill your very last glass of wine on a side table? Of course you guide the liquid back in your glass, filter out the lint and dog hair and drink it! She conquers her fears and not only survives, but thrives.

If you enjoy stories with vulnerable female protagonists, Nicole Mabry has created the perfect blend of fragility and resilience in Karis. Past This Point is an endlessly exciting novel that will make you cry and make you cheer. A beautifully unique take on a devastating outbreak story.

Amazon

Amazon