Until Further Notice: A Year in Pandemic Time

Until Further Notice is a real-time personal account of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic through the prism of one woman’s consciousness. An internal seismograph of living through a global emergency, Amy Kaler’s book documents a series of jolts to her thoughts, perceptions, emotions, and habits. Kaler ultimately finds solace in Edmonton’s North Saskatchewan River valley, where she bides her time while other public spaces are closed. As a sociologist, Kaler’s introspection underlines the universal experience of dissonance brought on by COVID-19 and invites readers to ponder its ambiguities: How does thinking change under prolonged stress? What does time mean in the middle of an unprecedented disaster? How does COVID-19 push our emotions and imaginings off-centre, like a tree bent away from the angle it naturally seeks? Also present is the story of how Kaler rediscovers her place in the world. After twenty years of living in Edmonton, she finally comes to experience her neighbourhood and a world of trees and snow and water that had been close-at-a-distance for years, until the waves of pandemic life let her put down roots. Reflexive and relatable, Until Further Notice captures fine-grained, everyday experiences from an extraordinary year.