I just wrote in a review that maybe it's too soon for Covid-19 novels, but this one was okay in a way that the previous book I reviewed wasn't. Protagonist Joan is an ICU doctor, but despite the book taking place from fall 2019-spring 2020, and Joan's work being core to her existence, the virus isn't exactly the novel's core.

Anyway, Joan is 36 years old and lives in a rental apartment in a doorman building in Morningside Heights. Her parents went back to China when Joan began her undergrad at Harvard, and her older brother Fang lives in a Greenwich, CT mansion with his wife and three kids. Though not identified as such in the book, Joan appears to be on the Autism spectrum or at the least has atypical relationships with her coworkers, neighbors, and family. When her father dies unexpectedly, Joan flies to China for the funeral, and returns in time for work on Monday. She is rewarded by her boss for being so dedicated and is psychologized for it by her brother and sister-in-law. She lies to her neighbors when she's on forced bereavement and has no ability to establish boundaries with her floor mate, Mark.

This is a novel-about-nothing, despite its dramatic events. I'm not describing it well, but I will say that Joan Is Okay is an apt title. Joan is okay, and is living her best life, even if it may not seem so to others.