Love in the Time of Cholera
Originally written in Spanish, this is a novel about a relationship over the course of a lifetime, where due to a father’s taboo, the lovers must be apart. It characterizes lovesickness and heartache as a literal sickness. It also destigmatizes love and passion in old age by showing the two protagonists finally getting to be together fifty years after they were torn apart. However, it does point to the limitations of societal expectations because in order to be together the lovers must stay on a ship pretending to be in cholera quarantine. This could be useful for teaching about elderly relationships and the stigmas around sex and intimacy in old age, as well as how real health crises, like cholera, permeate deeply into a society. One could draw parallels between cholera and COVID and the social impacts of epidemics and pandemics.