Leyla Dorche and the Coney Island Cure by David Rothman is a drama novel that follows a father’s attempts to find a cure for his COVID-infected teenage son. It’s April 2020, and COVID-19 has created mass panic and havoc all over New York City. Andrew Gruber has witnessed first-hand the deaths caused by the pandemic during his work as the assistant director of the Wahi Funeral Home. When his thirteen-year-old asthmatic son is diagnosed with the disease, Andrew has no choice but to knock on the door of Leyla Dorche, a Bulgarian healer in Coney Island. Upon Leyla’s insistence, he sets off on a risky chartered plane with a drunk pilot to Bulgaria to bring home ten liters of rare Macedonian pine sap. Andrew soon learns how life is full of surprises and that nothing goes according to plan.

I honestly loved this book. With a captivating story and some truly compelling characters, David Rothman brilliantly captures the sheer panic and chaos in New York City at the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Rothman keeps the plot moving at a brisk pace, including a few surprising twists and turns along the way to keep you guessing as to what’s going to happen next. But it’s the characters who demand your attention. Every character feels believable, with real emotions and agency that makes sense of their actions. Despite the circumstances, I found the scenes featuring Misha and Andrew together absolutely hilarious. Overall, Leyla Dorche and the Coney Island Cure is one of the best novels I’ve read in relation to the recent pandemic. Highly recommended.