by Paul Monette
First published 1992
Tom Ahaheen arrives at an isolated stretch of California coastline seeking solitude. The artist carries AIDS in his body and needs time away from everything he once knew. The ocean air and empty horizon offer him space to think about his illness and examine the choices that brought him here. His retreat feels necessary but incomplete. Then Brian appears. Tom's brother has been absent from his life for years, their relationship fractured by old wounds and misunderstandings. Brian's return changes the careful isolation Tom has constructed for himself. The brothers must navigate their shared history while Tom's condition adds urgency to every conversation. Their reunion forces both men to confront what they mean to each other and what time remains. Paul Monette creates a story about family bonds tested by crisis and the courage required to face mortality together.
Genres: american-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, adult-fiction, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, reunion
Setting: California
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
272 pages · Paperback · Avon
Content warnings: terminal-illness