Contagion by Kerry Greenwood

"He told me that this flu is not just an epidemic. It is a pandemic. All over the world, people are dying of it. They have it very badly in America. And in Europe."  Charlotte McKenzie 1918

"The worst thing is that all the people who don't usually get the flu are getting it, and there is no-one to look after them but old people and children" Charlotte McKenzie 1919

"This is a new disease: it burns hot like a bushfire and it'll burn itself out. In the end." Doctor Barnes 1919 quoted by Charlotte McKenzie.

At first glance it seems Kerry Greenwood (author of the Phryne Fisher books) has been busy and very efficient producing a book this year that echoes our times with COVID-19 - a book about the 1919 Spanish Flu pandemic. Yes Kerry Greenwood has penned a compelling tale but she didn't write this book in 2020. Contagion was originally published in 2002 under the title A different sort of real - the Diary of Charlotte McKenzie then again in 2012 under the title The Deadly Flu (My Australian story series) and now again in 2020 with an appealing new cover and title - Contagion. So it's really the publisher Scholastic Australia who have seized the moment.

I highly recommend Contagion for readers aged 11+. If you were using this book with a group of students it would be good to talk about the work of cover designers. These three copies of the same book have such very different covers. Here is a set of comprehension questions written to accompany the 2012 edition of this book.

Charlotte begins her diary as World War One ends. Her soldier father has come home but he is suffering from severe shell shock. There are four children in the family and Charlotte's mother is a nurse. She works through the night and much of the care of the younger children falls to Charlotte along with laborious household duties. The process of washing sheets for example, takes a whole day and three women. "It takes both me and Amelia, one on each end, to wring out a sheet over the copper stick ... "

In her diary Charlotte shares her daily life from 16th October, 1918 up to 8th February, 1919. This is a short period in history but a momentous one. The historical notes at the back of Contagion explain - the Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919 killed 27 million people world wide. It killed 5,000 people in Victoria and about 13,000 in Australia but Charlotte does not talk about these statistics. Her daily reality is about life and death as she works as a nursing assistant to her neighbour, Doctor Barnes. Travelling from home to home she witnesses shocking poverty, extreme sickness and distress. Charlotte demonstrates her enormous courage, her outstanding work ethic and best of all we can read about her personal life and the compassion she offers her own family and the families of strangers.

I often think about the rhythm of reading. Contagion (my copy was The Deadly Flu) has a definite rhythm to the writing which helps to keep the diary style format moving forward. Charlotte has a strong and compelling voice.

Here are few comparison observations between the times described by Charlotte and our lives in 2020.

Sewing - Charlotte's sister Amelia begins to sew as part of her recovery from the flu which has just claimed the life of her sister Lily. Amelia is sewing shrouds."Doctor saw that she wanted occupation and bought her a great basket of cloth. It's just straight seams with a frill around the neck and she can make them very fast, especially the little ones. She's sewing shrouds. ...  we can't send them naked into the earth, can we?" In 2020 people are sewing and selling masks.

Closures - "They are holding up trains at the border between New South Wales and Victoria." and "The government have closed all the cinemas, pubs, theatres, racetracks and music halls." Charlotte McKenzie tells us in 1919. By the 24th January 1919 the decision is made to close the schools. And in 2020 we have nearly all  the same closures.

Masks - In 1919 Charlotte wears a carbolic mask when she helps the doctor on his daily home visits - Carbolic is a disinfectant and masks were soaked in this liquid as a protection against the flu. In January 1919 the NSW Government made the wearing of masks compulsory. In August 2020 the Victorian Government also did this.

Shopping - "Dad went down to the grocer's shop himself. You have to hand in your list and the grocer puts the bags on the floor, a safe distance away. You put the money in a dish of carbolic on the floor." In 2020 we stand 1.5 metres apart and pay with a tap of a credit card!

Temperatures - Charlotte writes in 1919: "Doctor told the husband to keep giving her asprin and water and he would call in the evening. Her temperature was 105 degrees, almost at the top of the thermometer."  In 2020 I've had my temperature checked in shops, visiting the hospital where I volunteer and at a school reception. Explaining the numbers -  98.6 Fahrenheit is normal or as we measure it now in Australia it's 37 Celsius. 

Treatments for the influenza in 1919 - They use "Carbolic masks, as we think it might be airborne. Cool drinks, soup, cold sponging to bring down fever, aspirin, orange flower water ... fresh air, constant attention. That's all. .. (there is) no cure."

Charlotte McKenzie is an invented character but it is obvious Kerry Greenwood did a huge amount of research for this book. It is sobering to read her thoughts (written in 2002) on the final pages of her book:

"It could happen again. This time it would travel by jet, not by troop ship. The World Health Organisation has a disaster plan should another Spanish Flu come along, because there are a lot more people in the world now, and the flu would move much faster."