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sarakomo 's review for:
The Great Believers
by Rebecca Makkai
2022: I went into this keeping my expectations low and was subsequently very impressed!
I was thrilled to finally get my hands on a copy of The Great Believers. It had been on my list since it was published in 2018, and I would argue that it should definitely be on yours as well. Believe the hype! The two main timelines are 1985 and 2015, but Makkai weaves together many references outside of those two years into a cohesive and thought-provoking novel.
It's impossible to not compare this book and [b:A Little Life|22822858|A Little Life|Hanya Yanagihara|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1446469353l/22822858._SY75_.jpg|42375710], or call this the Chicago version of ALL (without the trauma porn). However, the work that Makkai does here to draw the parallels between The Lost Generation of WWII and the gay men who grew up during the AIDS epidemic is incredible. I enjoyed every subplot and thought they all worked well together. Even Claire running off with a cult seemed to fit.
The ending has a quote from [b:Hamlet|1420|Hamlet|William Shakespeare|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1351051208l/1420._SY75_.jpg|1885548] in which one of the characters compares their experience, of being the final surviving member of the AIDS-plagued friend group to Horatio. If you recall, everyone dies in Hamlet (sorry not sorry for that spoiler) and the one left to carry the story (the truth, if you will) into the future is Horatio. It was a beautiful thru line that was finally acknowledged, that all of these characters were dealing (in different ways) with being the one who survives and remembers.
I was thrilled to finally get my hands on a copy of The Great Believers. It had been on my list since it was published in 2018, and I would argue that it should definitely be on yours as well. Believe the hype! The two main timelines are 1985 and 2015, but Makkai weaves together many references outside of those two years into a cohesive and thought-provoking novel.
It's impossible to not compare this book and [b:A Little Life|22822858|A Little Life|Hanya Yanagihara|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1446469353l/22822858._SY75_.jpg|42375710], or call this the Chicago version of ALL (without the trauma porn). However, the work that Makkai does here to draw the parallels between The Lost Generation of WWII and the gay men who grew up during the AIDS epidemic is incredible. I enjoyed every subplot and thought they all worked well together. Even Claire running off with a cult seemed to fit.
The ending has a quote from [b:Hamlet|1420|Hamlet|William Shakespeare|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1351051208l/1420._SY75_.jpg|1885548] in which one of the characters compares their experience, of being the final surviving member of the AIDS-plagued friend group to Horatio. If you recall, everyone dies in Hamlet (sorry not sorry for that spoiler) and the one left to carry the story (the truth, if you will) into the future is Horatio. It was a beautiful thru line that was finally acknowledged, that all of these characters were dealing (in different ways) with being the one who survives and remembers.