Bridging the Gap Between Pandemic Fiction and Reality: Community and Solidarity in Val McDermid’s Resistance

Abstract

Best known for her tartan noir fiction, Scottish author Val McDermid enters in 2017 the realm of pandemic fiction. Her radio drama turned graphic novel Resistance still bears the imprint of the essential features of Scottish crime written by women. A bacterium which has grown resistant to antibiotics decimates the world’s population, forcing us to redefine communities and solidarity among groups. The scenario created, both improbable and alarmingly plausible, allow for the exploration of human reactions in the face of disaster. This article discusses the role of literature, and more specifically pandemic literature, as a means of psychological escape as well as social criticism, and explores its possibilities as facilitator of survival during societal collapse by means of collective action and solidarity.