Christodora by Tim Murphy
'An engrossing and inspiring story of loss, love and hope, set against a backdrop of art, activism and addiction.' Observer
Oh this book will break your heart. Not an easy read due to content and the way we switch back and forth between people and timelines, but well worth the investment. Fans of The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai will enjoy. I had no idea of the struggles that female AIDS sufferers went through before I read this book.
From the back
Moving from the Tompkins Square Riots and attempts by activists to galvanize a response to the AIDS epidemic, to the New York City of the future, Tim Murphy's Christodora recounts the heartbreak wrought by AIDS, illustrates the allure and destructive power of hard drugs, and brings to life the ever-changing city itself.
The Christodora is home to Milly and Jared, a privileged young couple with artistic ambitions. Their neighbour, Hector, a Puerto Rican gay man who was once a celebrated AIDS activist but is now a lonely addict, becomes connected to Milly's and Jared's lives in ways none of them can anticipate. Meanwhile, the couple's adopted son, Mateo, grows to appreciate the opportunities for both self-realization and oblivion that New York offers.
As the junkies and protestors of the 1980s give way to the hipsters of the 2000s and they, in turn, to the wealthy residents of the crowded, glass-towered city of the 2020s, enormous changes rock the personal lives of Milly and Jared and the constellation of people around them.
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