[ZacharyPitts]

Absolutely, The Decameron by Boccaccio, written in 1353 just a few years after the plague struck Italy in 1348: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Decameron

Rather than a novel, it is a collection of 100 short stories of people during the plague. Enjoyable to this day.

[lou1306]

Also, the Betrothed (1827) by Alessandro Manzoni, which is set during the 1600s plague. In a very famous chapter, one of the characters finds out he's got the plague, which is pretty close to what the GP describes.

[billfruit]

How I was amazed by the pace and energy of 'Betrothed', not one boring minute in all of its 700+ pages. The translation by Bruce Penman available from Penguin is an exhilarating read.

[lou1306]

I'm Italian so I read it in the original, but I'm glad to know the English translation does it justice :)