Reflecting the incalculably far-reaching effects of the global pandemic, COVID-19 is addressed in three of this year’s Longlisted titles. Set in four continents across the globe, Bright Unbearable Reality: Essays tackles human migration, displacement, and the global pandemic. A former war correspondent, Anna Badkhen examines grief through essays that contemplate memory, belonging, the meaning of home, and, ultimately, the hope catalyzed by human connection.