Bogged down and despondent after six weeks of 'shielding' - total lock-down with three family members and a household friend - Ruth Barnett found the experience exhausting, in fact practically overwhelming. A friend from abroad suggested she distill the experience, blend it with related observations, and weave the whole into a time-limited piece of journal writing, a memoir of sorts. The result is this challenging new book. In it, Barnett...