Corona related brain fog is real, and it is keeping a tight grip on me. Nonetheless I FINALLY finished the audiobook of Rebecca Makkai's "The Great Believers" (a miracle, really) and I have to say: I wanted to love this book more than I did in the end. And I am sure if my stupid brain was functioning properly I could conjure up some sort of comprehensible explanation for why that ended up being the case, but given the circumstances all I can say is the following: What a wonderful set of (more or less) lovable characters. What a special friend group, what a good, good book about love and longing and friendship. What a great way to read about the AIDS epidemic and people's irgnorance, what a treat, what a treat. I wish I could have cared a little more. I wish this novel would have felt less lengthy. The storyline would have allowed for so much more pace than we as readers ended up getting - there is a reason for why it took me a MONTH to finish. And maybe that was the problem. Maybe, if I would have just hunkered down and READ that damn thing within a couple of days, I could have liked it a bit better. But as it stands this is a three star book - a three star book I still think everyone should read.

<Spoiler> Oh how much I cried while reading this book and how much I loved these characters. Especially Yale, and how incredibly sad it was, that in the end he died alone cause all of his friends were gone. And how much respect but also just sadness I fell when I read about the AIDS crisis.