Finally a "chic" book for those lovely ladies of the Bar (though guys can certainly read it too)! Warning: it is a downer. My first read by author Alice Hoffman (a well-renowned writer). This is the fastest I've ever posted a review (my last one was only posted a week ago) and also this is the fastest I ever read a book (2 afternoons this weekend). AIDS strikes upon a young girl via a blood transfusion and it affects the entire small Massachusetts town in 1988 (when AIDS was still in its infancy). The reader sees into the mind of each family member; one has empathy for the mother, father & little brother. You know their fears, their individual suffering that is unique to each of them. I sympathized with the whole family. Each endures their own pain (including, of course, the victim). They are all victims. It's touching, very sad, and brings to mind my own sadness that I endured during my cousin Rachel's own illness and subsequent death from cancer at a tender, young age. Disease is simply not suppose to touch kids, but unfortunately it does. The book is written in the still early days of research and education. The characters have prejudices and unsubstantiated fears of the disease being contagious, which consequently results in a breakdown of relations. In my copy of the book (which I borrowed from work), there's a dedication handwritten by the original owners to their "courageous niece". One has to wonder if this niece, too, suffered from a terminal illness and is she still alive? The book conjures up images of Ryan White, the kid who was befriended by Elton John and died of AIDS years ago. The syndrome brings out the best and worst in this town; fear and ugliness reveal themselves in full force. Yet some of the townsfolk remain compassionate, especially a quirky channeler/medium. The sickness touches everyone's lives in this town; no one is immune (no pun intended). It reverberates throughout, like the domino theory. It's a very fast read. According to my mom, this is Hoffman's only sad book, most are just weird. This book reeks with poignancy and melancholy; it's bittersweet, depressing, raw and real. Sad to say, but as we know, it's also all to familiar. AIDS is still killing millions, more than 20 years after first being diagnosed. It's a painful, agonizing, heart-wrenching book. Though it's very sad, (I cried), it IS a good book. You may be thinking, "Ugh, why would I want to subject myself to reading such misery?" Well, disease is a fact of life. You can't whitewash it. Death is a part of life, and emotions you feel are coping mechanisms. There are some sweet parts. But you can't escape dying. Can't put rosy-colored glasses on. You'll read it and weep, but you may learn something about yourself in the process.
