Afterland by Lauren Beukes

In a world ravaged by a pandemic that has decimated the male population, a mother named Cole embarks on a perilous journey across a transformed America to protect her twelve-year-old son, Miles, one of the few surviving males. As they navigate a landscape fraught with danger and desperation, Cole is relentlessly pursued by her own sister, Billie, who has her own plans for Miles. The novel explores themes of survival, identity, and the lengths a mother will go to safeguard her child in a society grappling with the collapse of traditional gender roles and the chaos of a new world order.