Morning in This Broken World by Katrina Kittle is currently an August First Reads book option. This means that if you have not already gotten a First Reads book for the month, you can get it for free if you have Amazon Prime or for $1.99 if you don’t have Amazon Prime. Otherwise, it will be available next month.
The story takes place during COVID-19. Vivian’s husband died recently (not from COVID). She had been staying at the assisted living facility with him, but when the place goes into lockdown, Vivian knows she can’t handle the isolation. Around that same time, Vivian learns that her favorite nursing assistant, Luna, is being kicked out of her house. Vivian invites Luna and Luna’s two kids to live with her in the house she was planning to sell.
My Thoughts
Before saying anything else, I should offer a warning that there is a lot of swearing in this book. Had I realized how much swearing there was going to be, I likely wouldn’t have read it. Despite the swearing, I do feel like it had a really good plot. Pretty much anyone who lived through the pandemic can relate. There were definitely moments when I could remember experiencing similar situations or where I know someone else who experienced a similar situation.
Masks in public. No visitors to nursing homes. Businesses shut down. Hospitals overloaded with COVID-19 patients. Essential workers being overworked. People dying from COVID and some people still denying the seriousness of it. Toilet paper shortage. Yep. This book has it all.
Liberal-Leaning Warnings
I will say that this book does have a political agenda. If you can’t handle that, you won’t want to read it. The author is clearly leaning toward the liberal side when it comes to COVID-19, gay rights, and several other issues. While this did not bother me, I can see it bothering some readers.
Language Warning Again
As I mentioned before, this book does have quite a bit of swearing. I could have done without that. It definitely wasn’t necessary to the plot. There was enough that I nearly downgraded this to 4 stars, but ultimately, the story is so well-written and relatable. I found myself laughing along with the characters. I felt sympathy toward them at points. While this book does have a lot of swearing, it is clean when it comes to sexual content and violence. Without the swearing, I probably would have given this book 5 stars. I likely would have included on my list of “Well Worth It” books as well.
