by Emily St. John Mandel
Can the apocalypse be peaceful? Set in a world where a virus has wiped out the vast majority of the population. (The book was written in 2014, but for some odd reason got really popular again in 2020) Without people to maintain society's infrastructure, nature takes back over, and instead of a wasteland, the world is an overgrown landscape.
The story takes place during the first year of the outbreak, as well as 20 years on, as it follows an acting troop that performs Shakespeare for people.
I've read a number of dystopian or apocalyptic fiction, and what sets this apart is this idea that survival is insufficient. Art, culture, and human connection are essential to life, even after society collapses.