Our Country Friends

Our Country Friends is set against the backdrop of the global COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020. The virus is the catalyst that brings the group of characters together on Senderovsky’s estate and keeps them there for six months. While the virus lurks in the background for much of the novel, it makes its appearance in Part 4, ultimately leading to the death of Vinod Mehta. Throughout the novel, the author explores the impact the pandemic has on people through the everyday lives of the characters; the text also takes up the themes of loneliness and isolation caused by the pandemic lockdowns. COVID-19, an infectious respiratory illness, was discovered in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, before spreading across the world in the early months of 2020. Because the virus could easily be transmitted before it was detectable, significant measures were taken globally to stop the spread of the virus. This was to prevent huge spikes in positive cases that would overwhelm hospitals and other medical facilities.

The impact these measures had on everyday life was severe: “The pandemic also spurred a revolution in business and education, spawning a reliance on distance learning and work-at-home arrangements and the rise of videoconferencing platforms such as Zoom” (“