The Great Believers -- Rebecca Makkai

 

I probably should let myself think, since I just finished this book...but for all it's pain, it was truly a marvelous page turner. So, why not race through a review. The story of Yale, Fiona, Charlie, and the whole panoply of gay men in Chicago in the 1980's, coupled with the story of Fiona's search for her daughter Claire in 2015, are both engrossing. Reading this story today, while in the midst of a pandemic, is probably different then it was in 2018, when it was published. As the AIDS crisis raged, there was so much pain. The Great Believers gives us a roadmap on how pain can be endured. An incredible readable book about a terrible time and the anguish of its aftermath.