At the onset of the pandemic in early spring, a mad dash of New York City residents seeking an East End refuge led to a surge in rentals, which depleted inventory of all but the most expensive properties. Given what landlords were asking per month, people began to think, "For that money I could carry this house for a year. . . . When we hit that tipping point, the flood gates opened."

The Covid-19 pandemic has flooded post offices and shipping stores with packages, mail, and new customers, leading to difficult working conditions for employees and long lines for customers. Some postal service staffers have worked seven days a week for 30-plus days and 253 of Long Island's approximately 7,000 postal employees have contracted the virus.

An ambitious debut novel of cynical aid workers and expats follows a young Congolese on a Homeric journey north to Morocco and, he hopes, Europe.