05/11/2020
According to an author’s note, Rocha was inspired to write this novel upon learning about the prejudice faced by HIV-positive people in Brazil; the result, his YA debut, features three young men, each with a different relationship to HIV. Henrique, 21, is HIV-positive but has an undetectable viral load due to medication, and is looking for a relationship with someone with whom he can be honest about his status. He’d like it to be Victor, a college student, but Victor, who has just tested negative, is angry that Henrique didn’t reveal his status before sex, even though they used protection. When Victor meets 18-year-old Ian, who’s just tested positive, he introduces Ian to Henrique for support. The three alternate the narration, and readers see Henrique’s anger and loneliness, Victor’s guilt about breaking up with Henrique, and Ian’s efforts to cope with his diagnosis and meds (there are also glimpses of Brazil’s free testing and treatment culture), all building to Ian and Henrique’s growing friendship. Though characters feel differentiated more by externals (Victor’s blue hair, Henrique’s drag queen roommate) than by internals, the book effectively explores the tensions that stem from the prejudice and fear surrounding HIV. Ages 14–up. (June)
"A remarkably honest story about love, lust, and HIV in today's world." —David Levithan, Lambda Award-winning author of Boy Meets Boy "A powerfully honest book. Its raw and beautiful emotions will bring you to tears and leave you shouting with joy. A must-read." —Rachael Lippincott, New York Times bestelling author of Five Feet Apart *"This debut seeks to tear down the social stigmas surrounding HIV, offering life-affirming scientific facts and addressing prejuidicial thinking. . . . At times explicity educational, this treatise on community provides comfort in an often homophobic world, with strong-willed drag queens; drunken, ecstatic nights; and blossoming lovers. Simply fearless." —Kirkus Reviews , starred review *"The challenges of being HIV-positive in a soecity where that is regarded with opprobrium are adroitly presented in this Brazilian import. . . . Despite its Brazil-specific setting, the story is universal. More important, it fills an urgent need: novels featuring young adults who are HIV-positive are virtually absent from American YA fiction. . . . this deserves the widest possible readership." —Michael Cart, Booklist starred review"An authentic, deeply felt debut, this book is chock-full of poignant conversation starters for book clubs and collections serving older teens." —School Library Journal "This book will make your heart curl with pain, it will make your heart jump in excitement and romance, and it will make your heart hope for something." —The Nerd Daily "This emotional read shows that already complicated relationships can become more complicated when HIV is involved, but that that diagnosis doesn't spell doom and gloom for the characters. Rocha lets his characters make mistakes, learn, fight, grow, change, accept, hurt, heal, and love. An educational, affirming story full of hope and love." —Teen Librarian Toolbox "Effectively explores the tensions that stem from the prejudice and fear surrounding HIV." —Publishers Weekly
06/01/2020
Gr 10 Up— This much-needed Brazilian import, addressing the stigmas surrounding those living with HIV, could not be more welcome. The accessible prose, narrated by three young men in Rio, unveils life in the age of antiretrovirals. Readers jump straight into the fray: Ian is waiting for his results at a clinic and notices Victor, also waiting. Results in hand, they leave the clinic at the same time. Victor has slept with Henrique, a very responsible college student, who informs Victor (after the fact) that he is HIV+, but undetectable. Victor tests negative. Ian, who used to judge people for one-night stands, faces his own recklessness with his positive result. Victor offers Henrique's number to Ian to help him answer the titular question. These intersections forge the narrative structure of this fast-paced story. Readers witness the painful rejections that plague Henrique through his intimate chapters, and the friendship that his roommate, a drag queen, offers. Rocha deftly handles the romantic woes and glories, as well as the triumphs of friendship, within the gay community: the camaraderie of Rio's drag queen scene; the complicated behavior of men who haven't come out for various reasons; the lack of parental support (or the blessing of having understanding parents and families); and the daily burden of hiding who you are. VERDICT An authentic, deeply felt debut, this book is chock-full of poignant conversation starters for books clubs and collections serving older teens.—Sara Lissa Paulson, City-As-School H.S., New York City
★ 2020-04-05
The overcrowded clinic brims with impatient people, but for 18-year-old Ian Gonçalves, the only thing on his mind is his testing positive for HIV. The news sends him spiraling down, understandably. Enter 18-year-old Victor Mendonça, who’s also in the clinic, awaiting his results after a recent partner revealed his own HIV status. Fortunately, Victor’s in the clear, but he notices the distraught Ian and offers him the opportunity to connect with said partner, 21-year-old Henrique, for support. Readers follow all three young men—Ian, struggling with his newly defined life; Henrique, already HIV positive for three years; and Victor, afraid to be in love with Henrique—as Rocha depicts each of their perspectives with profound kindness and clarity. More a series of open-hearted conversations than a plot-driven narrative, this debut seeks to tear down the social stigmas surrounding HIV, offering life-affirming scientific facts and addressing prejudicial thinking. The cast of characters is solid: Ian feels alone, but as he adapts to the medicine that’ll help him, that isolating thought withers thanks to the supportive voices who gather around him, including those of Victor and Henrique, who are trying to mediate their newfound, complicated relationship. At times explicitly educational, this treatise on community provides comfort in an often homophobic world, with strong-willed drag queens; drunken, ecstatic nights; and blossoming lovers.
Simply fearless. (afterword, author's note) (Fiction. 14-18)
Three narrators deliver the points of view of three young men dealing with HIV in Rio de Janeiro. Ian, portrayed by Luis Selgas, is reeling from a new diagnosis. Henrique, portrayed by Christian Barillas, has been living with HIV. Victor, portrayed by Anthony Lee Medina, connects romantically with Henrique, but when he finds out about Henrique’s HIV+ status, he must confront his own fears and prejudices. All three narrators convey the book’s hopeful tone and deliver authentic-sounding Brazilian Portuguese pronunciations for names of people and places, grounding listeners in the Rio locale. As Ian, Henrique, and Victor’s lives become intertwined, secondary characters, especially Eric, Henrique’s boisterous drag queen roommate, add to the sense of community. Listen to this compassionate audiobook, beautifully written and translated, to widen your perspective. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
DECEMBER 2020 - AudioFile
Three narrators deliver the points of view of three young men dealing with HIV in Rio de Janeiro. Ian, portrayed by Luis Selgas, is reeling from a new diagnosis. Henrique, portrayed by Christian Barillas, has been living with HIV. Victor, portrayed by Anthony Lee Medina, connects romantically with Henrique, but when he finds out about Henrique’s HIV+ status, he must confront his own fears and prejudices. All three narrators convey the book’s hopeful tone and deliver authentic-sounding Brazilian Portuguese pronunciations for names of people and places, grounding listeners in the Rio locale. As Ian, Henrique, and Victor’s lives become intertwined, secondary characters, especially Eric, Henrique’s boisterous drag queen roommate, add to the sense of community. Listen to this compassionate audiobook, beautifully written and translated, to widen your perspective. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
DECEMBER 2020 - AudioFile
