Tim Murphy (8)

This is an epic history of some of the residents of an East Village building known as the Christadora superimposed on some of the historical events that constituted the American reaction (or, in the case of the government, lack thereof) to the HIV/AIDS crisis. Its non-linear narrative jumps around from various time frames from the 80s through 2021 and it is narrated by at least half a dozen distinct characters.

Murphy does an outstanding job slow-building empathy for the characters, many of show more whom are bundles of bad choices resulting in terrible consequences. Central to the story is a pair of (secular) Jewish East Village artists married to one another who adopt the child of a Latina AIDS activist, who dies from complications arising from HIV/AIDS. The child proves to be an artist in his own right, but in his teenage years rebels against his parents and ultimate becomes a heroin addict--destroying many lives on the way. This child's finding his way as an adult to a kind of redemption and amends-making -- however incomplete -- is the main thrust of the story.

If Murphy's novel suffers from a defect, it is that some of the storytelling seems to have been shaped to fit the HIV/AIDS history, instead of growing organically from the characters. For the most part, though, these maddening characters manage to carry the narrative forward, and Murphy does not fall prey to the need to wrap up all the loose ends. show less

News of the fifth member of their award-winning 1980s "Mendhem," Massachusetts speech team's suicide, and the mention of their teacher in his suicide note, prompts the remaining four members to reconnect and plan a trip down to Florida, where Mr. Gold has retired, to confront him about things he said to them when they were his students. Narrator Thomas "Tip" was bullied ferociously for being gay (even though he wasn't out in high school) and battles alcoholism in adulthood; Anthony Malouf, show more also gay, is now a fancy New Yorker who has never forgotten being called a "hairy terrorist"; Black professor Jennifer Douglas has built a beautiful life but still remembers Mr. Gold's misguided advice about her Sojourner Truth speech; and Tip's best friend Natalie is a farmer with two kids, on her third serious relationship, who's keeping mum about her history with Mr. Gold.

*Spoiler alert*

That their Florida trip happens at all is unlikely, and when they arrive at Gold's house, they discover something none of them expected: he doesn't remember them at all, due to early-onset Alzheimers. Tip vents at him anyway, to the others' horror, but Gold's wife Janet calls them back to watch a video made before Gold's dementia set in, where he talks about them, and encourages them to say their piece to him, even if he won't understand, giving some degree of closure.

Quotes

"Do you think people remember the things they said or did to people hat stayed with them their whole lives? Do you think that was their intent?" (Tip to Natalie, 30)

"I just think it's dangerous to give all of yourself o one person....You do that, and one day you wake up and you don't know who you are." (Nat to Tip, 51)

It had been a loser's sanctuary and a nerd's paradise. (68)

"But I have thought: Do people ever think that the things they just toss off are going to stay with someone for the rest of their lives? What's wrong with telling someone that they did? Aren't we entitled to?" (Tip to Nat, 72)

"I feel like that time in our lives is a hole in the ground....And I can't get out of it, but I would really, really like to, because I think if I could, then things would be different." (Tip to Nat, 75)

I'd never liked it when plans changed; I took it too personally. (240)

[The feeling was] terror rushing out and gratitude rushing in. (266) show less

I certainly was the target demographic for this book. Having grown up in the timeframe the book primarily takes place in, having loved NYC as an East Coaster and having lost family members and loved ones to AIDS, this book had the potential to crush me. I was actually a little nervous to start it because I was worried it would be emotionally devastating, a la A Little Life, by Hanya Yanagihara. I went in bracing myself, but instead it was a complex character study of a family, their friends show more and offspring with NYC and the AIDS crisis as both backdrop and purpose for bringing a good number of the characters together.

I really fell in with these characters. I didn't love them all. Some were quite frustrating in their obstinance or inability to see outside themselves. Those flaws gave the story layers and complexity. I liked the passion and that some of them didn't reach redemption or clarity. And I appreciated that there wasn't a tidy bow at the end, though there was enough that brought the book to a logical ending.

My only complaint, as it were, was that I wasn't in love with how the timeline moved. At points in the story, it felt too jarring a leap to make in time, or we just started to follow random names for no discernible reason. I also felt that some of the pop culture references were sprinkled in too liberally and may feel very awkward in a decade.

But even with those challenges, I still would give the book a 3.5-4. I think it is a very good book for someone who may want a character study of NYC during the AIDS Crisis and from outside the traditional gay lens, though with important gay characters. It would be a good accompaniment to the masterwork of the subject- Randy Shilts' nonfiction reportage, And The Band Played On. And for another, very different look at NYC in that time, the new Netflix TV series The Get Down which documents in vibrancy the birth of hip hop and graffiti culture in NYC. show less

I have been hesitating to review this book because I just could not find the words and that may very well be because the author, Tim Murphy, has used them all, every single one and multiple times. To say that this one one long-winded, whining, whinging diatribe would be accurate but to leave it at that would be wrong. This book was so well written that it was annoying. It touched on many subjects that used to be marginalized because it was just too uncomfortable to shine a light. Beware to show more those who have power and speak their thoughts without regard to consequences. It takes forever to pose the question that is the basis of this story “Do people ever think that the things they just toss off are going to stay with someone for the rest of their lives? What’s wrong with telling someone that they did?” Yeah, all true, but reflecting on the time, the place and the timeless question that to go against authority figures rarely ended well.

When I saw the description of Speech Team I thought there may be a little bit of “The Big Chill” ahead, but this was me hopefully projecting and definitely not where Murphy was headed. There was a whole lot of reflection but way too much belief in in the potential power of vengeful confrontation. I really had to wonder about a guy who would toss a solid relationship to return to the time of “being an outsider, … looking in, taking everyone’s measure” instead of embracing the positive of love in the here and now. I have to believe that Murphy is still “that pretentious, name-dropping little dweeb’ “ Sorry, but he said it first.

Thanks to Penguins Group Viking and NetGalley for a copy. show less