The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

THE GREAT BELIEVERS 

by Rebecca Makkai 

Chicago 1985. Yale Tishman and his friends have no idea that their lives are about to be devastated by the AIDS crisis. Yale works as a development director at an art gallery and his career is thriving. His British partner, Charlie, is the successful publisher of an influential gay publication. Yale and Charlie have a busy and fulfilled life, full of strong friendships but as the decade unfolds and the virus claims the lives of more of their friends, they find themselves becoming spokespeople, activists, comforters, victims and destroyers. 

In 2015, Fiona, the younger sister of Yale's good friend Nico, is now in her fifties and in Paris searching for her estranged adult daughter, Claire. Whilst there, Fiona connects with someone from that fraught time in Chicago and comes to realise that what seemed like a moment of crisis is still making itself felt thirty years later. 

The Great Believers is a long novel but one that is beautifully written and with not a moment wasted. Makkai has created a cast of characters whose lives we become fully immersed in, sharing their struggles and their pain. Her novel is a vivid and true portrayal of friendships under pressure, in times of heartbreak and crisis and how powerful they can become when the rest of the world has turned away from you. 

The two intersecting stories are told alternately from the point of view of Yale and Fiona and  the movement between them is fluid and seamless. For both settings, the historical and social context is incredibly authentic and the reader is firmly rooted within each time frame. Yale's storyline, set in 1985, is particularly compelling and I was impressed with Makkai's presentation of the political, social, historical and cultural situation. It's impossible not to become swept up in the devastation and sense of loss as these men are rejected by their families and left to face the fear and terror of the AIDS virus as it spreads throughout their community. 

This is a novel which is without doubt profound and touching. It explores the impact of AIDs and the staggering sense of loss, grief, horror and sorrow as the disease claims the lives of Yale's friends. Because of the depth of description, the detail and the time Makkai takes to develop her characters, this story feels intimate and it's all encompassing. It's thought provoking and poignant. 

There is quite a sprawling cast of characters to keep track of, but for me this conveyed the enormity of what happened, how devastating it was for those affected and it also compounds the sense of fear, grief and uncertainty which sweeps through this community of friends. 

Fiona's storyline in 2015 works effectively and allows the reader to absorb the effect of ghosts, memory and the impact a crisis has on the entire life of those it touches. With her search for her estranged daughter, Makkai is able to explore a number of connected themes and issues but within a different context.

There is no denying the author's talent, skill and exquisite writing. This is a book which requires time to immerse yourself within and one which is definitely more literary read, but it is rewarding and satisfying.

The Great Believers was published by Fleet on 5th July 2018. 

My thanks to Sue at the PR Collective and the publishers for an advance copy of the novel.