So beautifully written and moving... a novel that examines the AIDS crisis in 1980s Chicago and also its aftermath, through the life of one particular gay man, and through eyes of his friend, a woman whose brother was one of the early victims. It's a book about hate, and a book about love. A book about fear, and a book about bravery and compassion.
It took me straight back to that period in my own life, working in the fashion business in New York – when so many men I knew were cut down in their 20s and 30s... a neighbor down the hall in my apartment building, the partner of a co-worker, and so many others. It seemed to come out of nowhere, and suddenly there was an epidemic and death was everywhere in the gay community, and touching the friends of those of us on its periphery. It was a complete and utter tragedy that changed so much of life in the city and decimated a large component of my generation.
Despite the sadness of the story, I'm very glad to have read this important work. It's far too easy to forget what those bad times were really like - just 30 or so years ago - and to think what the victims might have accomplished had they not been struck down in their prime. So sad.
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