The Great Believers: A Novel
Why I recommend it
Makkai writes about friendship, art, and the AIDS crisis, then follows loss across generations. The community around the characters matters as much as any one life.
What stayed with me
An epidemic doesn’t end for the people living with its absences. Grief continues in relationships and memory.
Who it’s useful for
Readers drawn to fiction about chosen family, queer history, and loss.
A tension or limitation
The two timelines may not feel equally compelling. The later story follows the consequences of the earlier one.