The Great Believers

This novel about the emergence of the AIDS crisis and its long-lasting aftermath is one of the best books I've read in recent years. It has a lot of moving parts, but essentially it is interwoven stories of two complex characters: Fiona (Saint Fiona of Boystown as her daughter derisively calls her), whose brother Nico dies from AIDS before the book begins, and Yale a gay friend of Nico's who becomes Fiona's friend also. As the gay community in Chicago in the '80s is decimated, questions swirl about the disease, along with blame and recriminations, both personal and political. It's beautifully written, yet very readable. Highly recommended.