The Great Believers is an epic that covers the AIDS crisis, the Art World, and parenting. It takes place in Chicago (1985-1990) and Paris (2015). The sprawling themes weaken the engrossing relationships that try to move the plot along. The multitude of characters also dissipates our focus. We follow the Yale as he deals with his boyfriend Charlie, friends dying and worries about his own health. His best friend is Fiona, sister of Nico. Nico is the first AIDS death we witness in the novel. The author waits until the end of the novel for us to “fall in love” with Fiona and for me that backfires.  Rebecca Makkai stuns us with her use of language and metaphors. The emotional tug gets a bit lost until revelations in the last section. I wanted to wrap myself up with this novel because it holds an emotional resonance with me. Alas except for a few stunning moments I can’t give this a 100% must read

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_Makkai