Title: #84 of the 100 Best Gay & Lesbian Novels
Review: Argentina in the 1970s and 1980s was a time of change and growth. Richard Garay lives with his ailing mother in Buenos Aires, where he cruises for sex with other men and works at a loathsome job. After the Falkland War, he comes into contact with two American diplomats who become the catalysts for Richard's own changes and growth. He finds better work, becomes more connected with the world at large, and later finds a man to love. But even in Argentina, the far-reaching tendrils of AIDS touch everyone. The last third of the novel becomes an eloquent testament to the power of love and hope, against all odds. In Tóibín's capable hands, what could have been a tedious story about politics becomes a wondrous journey of a man into the world at large through to the other side.
Is this product review negative?