It was never part of the plan that Australia would be locked down and shut off from the world for two years. But when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in 2020, and the bodies began piling up overseas, Australians took unprecedented steps to avoid a catastrophe heading their way. The country’s near-elimination of the deadly virus in the first phase of the pandemic saw it avoid tens of thousands of deaths. But not all Australians were sheltered from disaster, and the strategy came with heavy costs. Many said goodbye to life as they knew it.

With unmatched access to Australia’s top politicians and pandemic officials, Life As We Knew It is a gripping investigation into the nation’s COVID-19 response and its incredible untold human stories. It delves into the worst days of the pandemic and its terrible disasters. But it also shows Australians at their best, the weird and the wonderful, and a public spirit of collectivism over individualism that set the country apart.

The authors travel across the nation shedding new light on the disruptive outbreaks that plunged Victoria and New South Wales into lockdowns. Based on more than 150 interviews, it also examines the unique experience of Australia’s COVID-zero states: Western Australia, Queensland, South Australia, and the Northern Territory — places where it sometimes felt like the pandemic didn’t exist.

Many of the most significant moments in Australia’s pandemic happened behind closed doors. Life As We Knew It unlocks the doors and looks inside.