The Great Believers

Starred review from April 30, 2018
Spanning 30 years and two continents, the latest from Makkai (Music for Wartime) is a striking, emotional journey through the 1980s AIDS crisis and its residual effects on the contemporary lives of survivors. In 1985 Chicago, 30-something Yale Tishman, a development director at a fledgling Northwestern University art gallery, works tirelessly to acquire a set of 1920s paintings that would put his workplace on the map. He watches his close-knit circle of friends die from AIDS, and once he learns that his longtime partner, Charlie, has tested positive after having an affair, Yale goes into a tailspin, worried he may also test positive for the virus. Meanwhile, in 2015, Fiona Marcus, the sister of one of Yale’s closest friends and mother hen of the 1980s group, travels to Paris in an attempt to reconnect with her adult daughter, Claire, who vanished into a cult years earlier. Staying with famed photographer Richard Campo, another member of the old Chicago gang, while searching, Fiona revisits her past and is forced to face memories long compartmentalized. As the two narratives intertwine, Makkai creates a powerful, unforgettable meditation, not on death, but rather on the power and gift of life. This novel will undoubtedly touch the hearts and minds of readers.

This audiobook delves into the lives and minds of its characters with care. Two stories run parallel throughout the novel, one unfolding during the early days of the AIDS epidemic in Chicago and the other taking place in a more contemporary time in Paris. The earnestness of Michael Crouch's performance suits the tone of both narratives well. Crouch is expressive and empathetic, breathing life into the many characters without ever overacting or exaggerating accents. His timing is superb, rarely rushing or slowing the pace even when the novel takes circuitous routes. The audiobook does give one pause when it comes to following the transitions between time periods, especially early on. The patient listener is rewarded with a well-written and thoughtfully performed experience. L.B.F. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine