Well, we don't have to imagine it now, do we? Sarah Pinsker's A Song for a New Day was published in September 2019, months before we realised that COVID-19 was gestating in Wuhan in preparation for its global world tour of pestilence. The only industries thriving are those that deliver us the goods we need, and pipe entertainment to us in our homes. Concerts and stage performances are all cancelled indefinitely, and countless people who make a living performing for others are out of work. Children attend virtual classes and whatever jobs that can be done remotely (or at least the jobs that survived), are done via telepresence. Everyone is told to stay home, and social distancing becomes the norm. Imagine a world hit by a pandemic that overwhelmed our puny healthcare systems. I'd thought a city this dense everyone would have just laughed at any proposed changes, but it felt like fear had made a dent even here The pox, the people who'd shifted to working from home. Even after all that had happened, I'd somehow expected New York to be the same as always, unflappable.
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