I find the topic of HIV and AIDS absolutely fascinating – from the horrific sufferings of gay men to its origins in Haiti and Africa, from the elusiveness of the virus away from antivirals to biomedical efforts to limits its transmission, from AZT and HAART therapy to bone marrow transplants, from political stigma and oppression by GOP leaders to GOP efforts to cure the African epidemic, from the frustrating story of decades-long search for an effective vaccine to the human story of finding hope in impossible circumstances. There are so many storylines and so much work still to do. Makkai adds her fictional story to this historical symphony and shows the resilient, admirable hope that can be found in the spirits of gay men who triumphed over social shunning and disease-ridden death.
The first thing one notices about this book is that it won many prestigious awards. (Incidentally, each one of them is deserved and well-earned.) It gives an authentic voice to the homosexual community in 1980s Chicago. It is masterfully told by combining two storylines in two different decades from two different perspectives. This forking is yet combined to a united story with a realistic depth enhanced by both aspects. Despite the sadness, horror, and stigma, Makkai accentuates the hope found in the LGBTQ+ community.
The story centers around two characters: Yale Tishman and his friend Fiona. The 1980s storyline, told with Yale’s perspective, opens with Fiona’s brother and Yale’s friend Nico dying of AIDS. Nico and Fiona’s family stigmatized Nico’s homosexuality, but Fiona refuses to let such prejudice stand by rebelling. Nico’s funeral is attended by a plethora of gay men, all of whom would soon become potential targets of this evil yet contagious virus.
The 2015 storyline, told from Fiona’s perspective, opens in Paris where she is trying to track down her estranged daughter. She ends up staying with a friend from this same community from the 1980s, one who photographically documented the Chicago epidemic. These experiences make her come to grips with how this dramatic crisis altered the foundation of her life.
This book represents a sophisticated take on this oft-neglected pandemic. Makkai’s wizardry in storytelling draws the reader in and tantalizes her/his emotional core all the way to the end. She shows how the narrative of HIV/AIDS has bent history’s arc and produced its own lost generation, much like World War I. While this book, filled with a myriad of themes, is aimed for more mature readers, it will not disappoint in its human depth.
The Great Believers: A Novel
By Rebecca Makkai
Copyright (c) 2018
Penguin Books
ISBN13 9780735223530
Genre: Fiction, LGBTQ+
Page Count: 421
www.amazon.com