Russell and Corrine Calloway gather to celebrate the 35th wedding anniversary of Russell’s best friend, Washington Lee, and his wife, Veronica. This special occasion allows them to reminisce about the halcyon days of their youth and how important the Lees were to them during the ups and downs in their own marriage. 

However, a dark cloud hangs over this celebration, as well as any similar assemblage in March 2020: the alarming spread of the COVID-19 virus and the threat it poses to them and others. While Corrine frets over the wisdom of throwing a party during such a fraught time, Russell is inclined to downplay the risk.

"...a riveting conclusion to Jay McInerney’s tetralogy that began in 1992 with BRIGHTNESS FALLS.... This is a splendid story about normal people living normal lives until an unexpected shift redefines their version of normalcy."

Russell and Corrine have two grown children, Storey and Jeremy. Storey is an aspiring restaurateur set to open a restaurant in Greenpoint. She is currently in a relationship with Washington’s son, Mingus. Jeremy is a college dropout who has devoted his efforts to campaigning for Bernie Sanders despite the increasing futility of his mission with each subsequent primary. Politics and his direction in life are just two of the many issues on which he and his father will not see eye to eye. 

Russell and Corrine have relocated to Greenwich Village, their lives as empty nesters etched in stone. Corrine works at a charitable organization that provides food to the less fortunate, while Russell works for a publishing company. 

The Calloways’ marriage had weathered its fair share of storms, primarily Corrine’s previous infidelity. However, Russell recently has run into a young woman with whom he had shared a past flirtation. Astrid is a budding novelist who is attracted to Russell and is not shy about showing her interest in him. Russell jumps at the chance to read her debut novel, yet he ponders if he should be intimately involved with someone whose book he is seeking to publish. As his frolic promises to be something more, Corinne is soon struck with COVID and nearly loses her life. The city, like much of the country, is on lockdown, and Russell can only see her from a measured and safe distance. 

The interminable spring of 2020 yields to the unsettled days of summer, as the murder of George Floyd results in protests. One ends in Mingus’ arrest and Storey being injured, which leads to a rift between them as Mingus is held in an overcrowded jail for an inordinate period. In the wake of Sanders’ defeat, Jeremy has begun to explore his spiritual side. Unfortunately, this becomes just one more topic he would prefer not to bring up with his agnostic parents. The Calloways are in a transformative period, but where they will wind up is anyone’s guess.

SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE is a riveting conclusion to Jay McInerney’s tetralogy that began in 1992 with BRIGHTNESS FALLS. He powerfully evokes the surreal feeling of a world teetering on the edge of the abyss, as his characters are caught between the pre- and post-pandemic world. There is a pervasive and perceptible element of fear that runs throughout the novel: of catching a deadly virus, losing someone and succumbing to temptation. As ably captured in this wonderful book, fear is nearly as contagious as the virus, if not more so. 

Russell and Corrine represent the opposing viewpoints of some of the loudest voices during the pandemic. Corrine prefers to refrain from social engagements, while Russell possesses the convivial spirit. McInerney’s lively and multiperspective narrative allows readers to become engrossed not only in the lives of Russell and Corrine, but in Storey's and Jeremy’s as well. This is a splendid story about normal people living normal lives until an unexpected shift redefines their version of normalcy.