Reading a book about a fictional pandemic whilst still living through a pandemic was surreal to say the least. On the whole, I enjoyed this book, but the scientist in me struggled to get past some of the details in the book. The characters were your every day, run of the mill, family next door-type, and it was easy to place yourself in their shoes - but not all were loveable characters and I liked this diversity. The style with multiple points of view, switching backwards and forwards between lots of different accounts of the pandemic but with continuity across the whole really brought the book to life.

Overall I enjoyed this well-written book and would recommend it, but I personally struggled with its plausibility in some areas.

Thanks to #Netgalley and #HarperCollins for the ARC in return for an honest review. #The EndofMen
The synopsis for The End of Men sounded like the perfect read to me and I was thrilled to be offered a copy.
Let me start this review by saying this is an absolute belter of a book and I really don't have the words to do it justice in this review.
I know the author wrote the book before Covid 19 but it was fascinating to read a book about a pandemic while living through a pandemic. The End of Men has so much in common with our current situation - the disbelief, the accusations of scaremongering, the reality of living with a virulent virus and trying to protect those most likely to die from it.
Set in 2025, the book is narrated by different women who live, work and suffer the consequences of the virus.
The virus is flagged by Amanda an A&E consultant in Scotland but she is dismissed as being hysterical and the opportunity to contain the virus is lost. Catherine a social historian in England realises that someone has to tell the stories of those who live through the pandemic. Dawn a security analyst who is near retirement finds herself firmly in the spotlight having avoided it for the duration of her career. There are scientists searching for a vaccine and there are women who realise opportunites that wouldn't have been available to them unless nearly 90% of the world's male population had died.
The End of Men really gripped me and what I thought was excellent was the way in which Christina Sweeney-Baird changed the narrative for each person's story. They were all given their own voice and each character was expertly written. I understood Amanda's need for revenge, Catherine's grief was palpable but again so understandable and Dawn's pragmatism was her saviour. The author's ability to engage the reader is a talent of which she can be proud and her ability to portray the emotions of those involved be they positive or negative is something far more experienced writers struggle to achieve.
The End of Men also raised questions as to how women are treated and perceived in society.
Feminist, dystopian, pandemic are all words that could be used to describe The End of Men but also thought-provoking, gripping, accomplished, unputdownable and so so readable.
The End of Men gets 5 stars from me and kudos to the author.

It is 2025 and there is a Pandemic. A virus that only affects males, Women are asymptomatic carriers. Men die a painful death within hours of contracting it. Only one in ten men have immunity. How is this going to shape the world when men are over represented in Government, the military, national security, Doctors, researchers, electricians, plumbers, builders, doctors,? In this new world who decides who should get pregnant? How are Women going to cope with the loss of sons, husbands, fathers, brothers? How are the remaining men going to cope with being marginalised, objectified, and not having their voices heard? Can Women save the day?...
I can't say enough how fantastic this Dystopian tale is. All of the characters have emotional depth. The reader really feels the despair, hopelessness, and helplessness. A book that makes the reader question the current status quo and think..'what if?'
A book of our time that one day may become a classic

Dear Sir/Madam,

As noted (in the notes to publisher) I wanted to thank you for approving me for this novel. However, due to the current situation, I'm finding it difficult to read books about pandemics! Therefore I won't be reviewing this for the forseeable future.

Apologies for the inconvenience.

I wasn't sure if I would be able to handle reading The End of Men towards the end of 2020, but I cracked it open one evening and did basically nothing else until I came to the last page. One scene in particular I haven't been able to shake, six months after reading... I cried, and cried, and cried some more, and then kept plowing through pages because this book is just that good. It's thrilling, chilling, deeply emotional, brilliantly paced and with a truly global cast of characters that will have you asking yourself, what would I do in this situation, with each new perspective we're introduced to. If you're on the fence about reading about a pandemic during a pandemic - don't be. I can't wait to see what's next from Christina Sweeney-Baird.

Set a few years in the future, a sudden flu-like pandemic starts spreading from the epicentre Scotland, which then wipes out nearly all the male population across the world. It’s fast and it’s scary, and the government and experts are left stumped.

According to the author’s note, this was written before the average-Joe world citizen had even heard of a coronavirus. But it is eery, given the current world pandemic. So it’s understandable that some readers might not touch this with a 10ft barge pole, and also why others might devour it. (We’re strange folk, us humans, right?)

Anywho, for me this was a really engaging read. It doesn’t flow like a typical “there’s a worldwide pandemic, we need to find a vaccine, stat!” This is more of a dystopian take on a pandemic - “what would life be like for people after ‘The Plague’ wipes out most of the men”? You follow multiple (and I mean multiple - there are a lot of voices from all over the world adding their take on life) characters as you learn how the Plague has affected them, how their lives have changed and how they feel about it. And also how society changes because of this - the world is currently geared up in favour of the patriarchy - men hold most of the manual, educated and high level jobs. Look at politics, law enforcement, science, business - it’s a male dominated world. Women are often overlooked, as the caregiver in family life and often have the administrative roles in society. All that goes out the window and it’s really thought provoking as the new matriarchy takes control. There’s male voices that don’t like this (read here conspiracy theorists) and there’s also glimpses into how governments strive to repopulate the world where newly born children are taken away from their parents and kept separate to protect their lives as a vaccine is developed.

But the takeaway for me is the sheer grief that everyone experiences in this book. A lot of the people giving their voices lose a lot of their loved ones; partners, sons, fathers. It’s heartbreaking as you follow them as a ‘survivor’. Definitely one I’d recommend!

I am on the blogtour with Random Things Tours for this title, and will be sharing the following review on May 3rd.
I won't be including a star rating on my social media posts, just the below commentary.



Today is my spot on the blogtour for 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞𝐧 by Christina Sweeney-Baird. Thank you to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for having me along, and to Borough Press for sending me a copy of the book.
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𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞? 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐞? 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞? 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐢𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐰? 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞? 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐬?
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This is a difficult review for me to write, as there are things that I feel I need to call out, that perhaps weren't considered when this book was written, and I hope that these comments are taken in the spirit that they are intended - i.e. not in a negative accusatory way, but more as a learning opportunity.
The main focus of these comments relates to the LGBTQIA+ community, and their lack of actual representation throughout (some spoilers ahead).
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𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐮𝐬.
𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐬.
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I'm going to start with the things that I think were done well in the book.
Firstly, I think there are a lot of statistics and genuine facts and figures highlighted throughout the novel, that do draw attention to how women are under-represented in numerous areas of society; whether in certain job roles and industries, or in relation to being genuinely considered in safety testing, health services, and clothing manufacturing.
I think these do highlight some of the current areas where things do need to change in real life, and hopefully this will open people's eyes to changes that genuinely need to take place.
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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 - 𝐧𝐨, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫 - 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱. 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 '𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐞𝐰' 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐝𝐬.
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I also liked how Sweeney-Baird flipped the current experiences that women have to endure pre 'the Plague' (and in real life) to experiences that the surviving men have to endure post 'the Plague'.
Some of the portrayals of these societal changes were quite illuminating, and they do make the reader question how these dynamics might really play out.
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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞-𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐟𝐟. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨, 𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐫𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬.
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I also thought the structure of the book worked well. Sweeney-Baird separated the story into before, during, and after the Plague.
There were a lot of character perspectives throughout the story, so this did help to maintain structure and to clearly portray the evolving response to the virus.
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𝐖𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬, 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 '𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐰' 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐰. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐧𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞. 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫. 𝐈𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥.
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When I read the premise of the book, I thought it sounded like such an interesting subject, especially given my viewpoint as a woman and a feminist.
What would happen if there were a mysterious illness sweeping the globe - no longer too difficult to imagine given the coronavirus outbreak - and how would life change if the victims were all men?
I did wonder from the beginning how the virus/illness would determine someone to be a 'man' - after all, gender is not binary; it is a spectrum:
(1) If the virus focussed on sexual reproductive organs, then it cannot be binary and solely focus on 'men', as intersex people exist;
(2) If the virus focussed on the amount of hormones present within an individual's body, then it cannot be binary and solely focus on 'men', as plenty of people of other genders have a high level of testosterone;
(3) If the virus focussed on chromosomes, then it cannot be binary and solely focus on 'men' as there are numerous variations to the XX and XY chromosome.
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𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐘 𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐗𝐗, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐗𝐘. 𝐘 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫. 𝐈𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐗𝐗, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐘 𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞, 𝐢𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 ... 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐗𝐗 𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐧, 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐯𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐮𝐬.
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The explanation for the virus' focus on 'men' was provided just shy of halfway through the book, where the author detailed that the biologists and immunologists identified it was a genetic identifier based on chromosomes, and that if you had an XY (i.e. 'male') pair you would contract the virus and likely die, whereas if you had an XX (i.e. 'female') pair you would be a carrier, but not experience symptoms or die from the virus.
Given the biological explanation provided here, this would have been the perfect opportunity for the author to have acknowledged the intersex, trans, and non-binary communities that are not captured under this brief explanation, and also to acknowledge the fact that numerous individuals are born with chromosome variations that are broader than XX or XY. (For example: XXY - Klinefelter syndrome; XYY - Jacob's syndrome; XXX - Triple X; XXXX - Tetrasomy X; XXXY; XXXXY, and; XXXXX - Pentasomy X).
Not everyone has 46 chromosomes. Some people have 47, 48, or even 49 chromosomes, but this was in no way acknowledged throughout the book.
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'𝐋𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐠𝐨 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬,' 𝐓𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬. '𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭 ... 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐞𝐱 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐭 ... 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 - 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐢𝐞. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 - 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 ... 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐗𝐘 𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬.'
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The single reference to the existence of the trans community was not mentioned until close to the end, and this reference still only focussed on binary gender, referring to transwomen as XY and transmen as XX.
While elements of the gender norms 𝘢𝘳𝘦 based on societal expectations, it does a huge disservice to the intersex, non-binary, and trans communities to focus on binary gender as the only option here - gender is a spectrum both societally and physiologically.
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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞. 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐒 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝.
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Sexualities and relationships other than heterosexual and heteronormative are also lacking representation throughout The End of Men.
There are three specific characters that are presented as gay - one is a very small interaction with a gay man named Peter, who is a friend of a main character, and who sadly lost his husband (and with it the likelihood to have children via surrogacy) - the others are a main character, Dr Lisa Michael, who discovers the vaccine, and her partner Margot Bird.
Lisa is presented with some typically 'masculine' traits, including competetiveness and a hunger for power, with her decision to sell the vaccine for profit and prestige, rather than sharing it for the good of the world.
This stereotype of a gay woman having masculine traits in this way can be harmful, especially when there is such limited representation of gay characters throughout the book, as it feeds into a stereotype that gay women can only be masculine, or butch.
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'𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞: 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭? ... 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝. 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐝 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ... 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞 ... 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐚𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐰. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 ... 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧'𝐭 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞.'
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The final thing I want to say about the portrayal of sexuality throughout the book relates to the new dating app 'Adapt' towards the end of the book.
The lack of genuine LGBTQIA+ representation, coupled with the way this app is depicted, made it seem as though the women at the end of the story 'finding love' with other women, were only doing so as a last resort; as though they were driven to this as a final option, out of desperation or loneliness.
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Given the significant number of different characters and stories/perspectives throughout the novel, there could have been better representation for the LGBTQIA+ community, and I think these stories would have only added positively to the overall novel.
With reference to the specific plotline, intersex, trans, and non-binary people exist in society, as do people who specifically have a chromosome variant. These communities should not be excluded or eradicated from any society, whether real or imagined.

A pandemic sweeps the world spreading like wildfire leaving 90% of the worlds male population terminally ill. One young doctor struggles to gain credibility in her futile attempts to get officials to recognise and act on the impending crisis unfolding before her ,causing a catastrophic delay in authorities taking action. Roles and tasks carried out mainly by men and underpinning each countries infrastructure suddenly collapse; urgent measures are required if chaos, turmoil and anarchy are to be avoided. The story unfolds as one bereaved individual decides , in her role as anthropologist to interview and record events over a period of weeks, months and eventually years for future posterity. Nothing will ever be the same and drastic unpalatable decisions must be made to assist population growth, avoid starvation and train up women to carry out those roles that had usually been carried out by men. Lives will be lost, fortunes made, guardian angels working around the clock to find a vaccine that might save the world, and ordinary people doing their bit to rise above the desperation and horror surrounding their friends, family and country. A hugely provoking storyline with numerous three dimensional characters and a series of events that would challenge even the most seasoned of readers. The author wrote this piece of work prior to Covid. Shockingly accurate how true the saying that fact often mirrors fiction. Any reader cannot help but wonder what work of non fiction in the future will record , as a factual account., the Covid pandemic. Current world events we are now living through is the stuff of nightmares. This writer has accurately depicted and delivered an excellent work of fiction that has been transcended by current events. Certainly not a book for the faint hearted but a hugely entertaining and provoking story.

This book could be a great thriller. Unfortunately for me, it has been written two years too late. Reading about a new virus, the authorities being slow to respond, not being able to touch loved ones, going shopping late at night so the supermarket has few people in: this is now real life not fiction. Other readers may enjoy it, but for me it was fact not fiction.

Thanks to Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for the ARC.

A pandemic novel in a pandemic? Speculative fiction that hits very close to home?
I wasn't sure I would be able to face it, but I could not put this down!
Absolutely hooked from the opening pages!
Enough with the exclamation points.
Glasgow, 2025. Amanda is an A&E doctor, called to see a man within flu-like symptoms, flown in from the sleepy Isle of Bute. Within hours, he is dead and she realises that this is something new and terrible that is spreading faster than anything she's seen.
She tries to raise the alarm but is ignored by her superiors in the hospital and in the government.
Quickly, the pandemic is spiralling out of control and all of the population is affected in one way or another.
This book tells the very human stories of this 'Plague' and its management through the thoughts, writings and video meetings of several people across the globe, from the inevitable panic and despair, through the draconian and desperate measures to restore order and preserve as much life as possible. Each narrative voice remains distinct, even when the themes are similar.
There isn't much of a sense of place at times, but the real story is in the human landscape so I didn't mind that.
It is riveting at every turn, so accomplished I was surprised to find this is a debut.

Well, how strange yet a other fiction book written before the current pandemic. Peter May wrote his fiction novel " The Lockdown" pre Covid and wasn't published until fairly recently. Christina wrote this one back in the day but maybe some of it was updated during the pandemic as some part of the book sound familiar but it is only recently happening (passport certificates of vaccination in order to travel).

There are some changes of countries in this alternate world. Independence comes to Scotland and China breaks up to make "The Twelve" which (as it says in the novel) sounds like a baddie group in a James Bond film.

This story bounces around to various people in different difficult situations as no one is unaffected by this global pandemic. My particular favourite is following the progress of the chappie on board a ship off the coast of Iceland anchored due to running out of fuel and his wife back home trying to organise food parcels to be sent to the ship for any survivors. Lots of other different situations like the hostel near the Cairngorms that is given a party of teenage boys in order to keep them safe and to send their own teenage son away just in case any incoming teenagers pass the virus to him. Women who have lost their husbands. The scene of a husband going to their bedroom to die alone is a particularly tearful moment for me so get tissues handy, maybe.

Not only personal accounts but also journalists, virologists and more professional women coming to the fore just because there are no men to be in charge and in fact these women are doing a sterling job. But if they'd listened to a woman in the first place ... just saying.

Funny how of 3 pandemic fictional novels I've read, 2 have Scotland being where the outbreak starts. Just saying...

I thought it quite right that items were being adjusted to suit the female species, for instance cars. Head rest heights, seatbelt settings, airbag settings. I think of the non-fiction book I still want to read "Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men" by Caroline Criado-Perez.

I was going to pounce on a fiction novel by an author I realy enjoy but the synopsis of this book caught my eye and appeal to dive into this one first. Just goes to show. It's actually quite brilliant how again, out of the 3 fiction novels of global pandemic THIS one is the most realistic and scary (if you think about it). This novel has a vaccine ready in 4 years, our true life pandemic story was less than a year!!

A standout novel in today's world which has now reached 3 million worldwide deaths due to Covid. Just take a moment to remember those lives affected by Covid. At least this novel has tracked down its cause whereas the real life virus has only been sort of tracked, possibly, to China. Just saying.

Wow, I've not really left such a long review!!

I do have sympathy for the author in bringing this book out at the end (hopefully) of the covid pandemic. I’m afraid I misjudged my wish to read this and it just didn’t make for comfortable reading. As a former health employee I was also rather put off by the anti-Public Health stance when the consultant tried unsuccessfully to report a number of sudden deaths. The aggressive response from two Public Health staff was utterly incredible and I’m afraid didn’t give me faith in the credibility of the rest of the novel. I'm sure much of it made for interesting reading but I'm afraid I didn't finish it.

TW: pandemic, death, sickness, child death

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for an audio arc for honest review.

Talk about getting sold on a title! I was here for a pandemic story with a feminist twist. There are a lot of ‘end of the world’ books you could compare this to, and it reminded me a little of The Power in tone. But I loved this.

I listened to the audiobook and can highly recommend. They invested in multiple voice actors and this was crucial as there are a lot of perspectives to follow.

This was drafted pre-Covid so it makes for interesting comparison reading. There are some events that occur that show how similar and how different we live now.

We follow all types of peoples experiences when a virus appears and starts killing the male population at an alarming rate. The title does not cover it. The virus takes no prisoners. It was as more brutal than I expected. And the scale and scope this novel covered was tapping into every facet of our world.

I kept thinking to myself I hope it addresses certain aspects e.g the effect on the trans community. And it covered everything I could think of, every consequence and repercussion.

Highly recommend.

And we thought Corona virus was bad! This story of a plague that halves the world's population was conceived and written before the real-life pandemic swept the world, and how prescient it now seems!
From the moment a doctor in Glasgow spots the pattern of men falling ill with a flu-like illness then dying within days, to the establishment of a new world order, where women take the helm, this is a truly gripping read!
As their menfolk, from great-grandfathers to newborn babies, die off, the main players in this story - all women - race to discover how and why this is happening, and, most importantly, to find a solution before it's too late.
And so we meet Catherine, an anthropologist, who has lost husband and toddler son; Amanda, a doctor whose husband and teenage sons have died; Elizabeth, an epidemiologist trying to find the cause and Lisa, a virologist hoping to discover the cure - and bag herself the Nobel Prize in the process. There's also Maria Ferreira, New York investigative journalist, asking searching questions.
These women's narratives run through the book, pushing the story on from 2025, when the plague first strikes, to 2030 when the world has completely changed. Interspersed are the stories of other women and their families and how they cope, from Frances whose husband is stuck on a cruise ship off Iceland to Irina in Moscow who wonders how unlucky she must be that her abusive husband Ivan is one of the 1 in 10 males immune to the disease!
As folks don masks and practise social distancing, countries close their borders, there are shortages of food and riots in the street - it all sounds terrifyingly familiar, doesn't it?
As well as reflecting - to some extent - our present dilemma - this story addresses so many issues. In a world descended into chaos, the difference between men and women - not just the physiological that makes men susceptible to the plague - but the way they see the world and their place in it, is highlighted in all the strong and poignant situations that have to be faced by the surviving women and the few males still around.
Add to that questions about balance of power, love, loss and grief; greed and selflessness, and you have one really powerful story, tightly woven together through multiple viewpoints.
As Amanda reflects sombrely at one point, "none of this had to happen", you find yourself asking, was men's greed to blame? It's a question the author wisely stops short of asking - it would be too simplistic to give a yes or no answer - but it's certainly one to reflect on as you finish the book and give thanks that our current situation while devastating for so many, and life-changing in many ways, hopefully won't mean the end of the human race.

Lots of parallels between our time throughout Covid 19 and the story in this book. In parts I felt quite sad. At first I found it a must read but about two thirds of the way through I found I was losing interest.

Reading about a pandemic while going through one seems a bit surreal, but also scarily realistic. .There was a lot going on in this book, and I did struggle with all the characters, and the writing style at times. I wonder if we were not going through a real pandemic and if this was not so realistic if I would have enjoyed it more, but that is my fault not the author. I think I might like to read this book another time to be fair. I think this is a good book but that I was not in the right frame of mind to fully appreciate it, so will give the book 4 stars as I think that is only right..

Only men are affected by the virus; only women have the power to save us all.

The year is 2025, a mysterious virus has broken out in Scotland - a lethal illness that seems to affect only men. When Doctor Amanda MacLean reports this phenomenon, she is dismissed as being hysterical. By the time her warning is heeded, it's too late. The virus becomes a global pandemic - and a political one. The world becomes alien - a women's world.

This story covers the years during and after the virus which quickly spread around the world. Doctor Amanda MacLean, an A&E consultant, was the first person to report the virus. She worked in a hospital in Glasgow. Husbands, brothers, fathers and sons are dying all over the world. It's nard to believe that this book was written before we had coronavirus as there is so much that takes place that is similar to what we are living today. The story is told from multiple points of view in the first person. There's a lot of characters to keep up with but they are well developed and have their part to play. This is one of those books that you will think about long after you've finished reading.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #HarperCollinsUk #HarperFiction and the author #ChristinaSweeneyBaird for my ARC of #TheEndOfMen in exchange for an honest review.

This took me a while to get into it, and I wasn’t the biggest fan of the writing style. However, the story was inventive, interesting and slightly terrifying! I struggled with the amount of characters featured, and because of that I found it hard to relate or connect with any of them. Not my cup of tea, but I’m sure there’s plenty of people out there who will enjoy this book! Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for a chance to review this book.

Wow - a book about a plague that is ravaging the world. Written before Covid became a thing that existed in the real world, it’s hard not to see our present situation in this story. Luckily it is fiction and this virus is a very different one, affecting only men.
Really well written, using first person accounts from different women in different situations and different countries around the world, making it a very interesting read. Moving, scary, frustrating, sad and hopeful all at once while highlighting women’s issues in real life .
Highly recommended read!

This is the second book this month I have read about a virus/pandemic wiping out the majority of the male population and I have to say I preferred this one. Seeing the evolution of the pandemic from patient zero to the end and how the world ultimately adapts made for a really interesting read. Difficult to read in parts and made me grateful I have two daughters! A book that makes you think - what would I do?