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| The Dial Press Random House Digital |
by Carol Rifka Brunt
5 Stars
June
loves her Uncle Finn, not just as an uncle, but a best friend, godfather, and her
first girlish crush. So when Uncle Finn dies from AIDS June is at a loss about
how to deal with the crippling grief she feels—worse, it’s the 1980s and the
world is just being introduced to the disease. Even though her uncle is a
famous painter, there is a stigma attached to his death. No one seems to
understand her loss or even want to talk about it until she meets Finn’s boyfriend,
Toby, someone June never knew existed. Was Toby Finn’s killer, or is he the man who
can help to heal June’s heart?
Perhaps
one of the reasons I connected with this novel is the fact that it was set
during the 1980s. I was a teenager at this time, and I can remember when AIDS
was first publicized. AIDS was terrifying, but was largely treated as a “gay”
men’s disease, so many teens not only dismissed it out of hand, but mocked the
victims. Religious groups saw it as a just reward for immoral behavior, and
rural teens just didn’t get it. The GLBT community was very much in the dark in
the 1980s—at least in my small town. Who knew that people in my community might
have struggled with these issues and with this illness? The novel was
enlightening and helped to reveal the struggle many families must have had not
only with the disease and its devastating results, but with acknowledging the
sexuality of their relatives. June is a
wonderful conduit for the themes in this novel and an endearing character. Her
innocence enlightens the reader to the conflicts of the time, and also
personalizes Finn and Toby. June makes
Finn and Toby human when others may not see them as sub-human. I felt the
family dynamics were very important to the novel as well. I loathed June’s
sister, Greta, who I thought was hateful and self-absorbed, and even at the end
I wanted to smack her. But Greta is an important character, because she is what
she is and June still loves her despite her cruelty and cynicism. Just like
every other character in the novel, she is flawed, and yet there is still love
in her and she is still worthy of love. June’s parents, her mother especially,
show the embarrassment that some felt having gay relatives, and also the narrow-mindedness
of forcing relatives to choose between lives. In all, the conflicts were not
only real, but tragically so, and beautifully woven to create a snapshot of
1980s life. Looking back from 2013, much has changed, but perhaps not as much
as we may imagine. The disease has become more widespread, not a “gay” disease
at all, but sadly one that still seems to have badge of dishonor associated
with it. Perhaps the novel helps to
reveal those erroneous assumptions about the disease because the truth is AIDS doesn’t
discern between color or creed, sexuality, nationality or any other standard—so
it’s best to realize that we are standing in its path—flawed, human, and
vulnerable. We need one another, and kindness, love, patience and understanding
are our best tools of defense.
