Borrowed Time (Magill Book Reviews)

At a glance:

When his lover, lawyer Roger Horwitz, was diagnosed as having AIDS in 1985, writer Paul Monette went through several types of denial. This book is one product of his attempt to move out of denial, confront the disease, and document its effect on the gay community by sharing the story of Roger’s battle and his own internal struggles.

Although many details about the disease are included, this is more a story of love and coping than a medical treatise. Monette gives readers an intimate look at the daily life of a gay couple: their dinners with friends, walks in the evening, the family pets, their attempts to maintain careers under the gallows of AIDS, and their deep caring for each other. Having read of their joy makes the chronicle of their pain more poignant.

Monette also follows the stories of several other AIDS cases, giving readers a broader glimpse of the devastation AIDS has wreaked upon the gay scene. These are horrible tales one cannot afford to ignore.

Monette uses two principal metaphors to describe the feeling of separateness that overwhelms AIDS victims: They feel like “moon people,” and the assault of the disease is “the war.” These expressions are not mere literary devices, but ways in which a superb writer manages to convey the frustration and anger of his life’s most difficult topic.

Sources for Further Study

Booklist. LXXXIV, June 1, 1988, p. 1634.

Kirkus Reviews. LVI, April 15, 1988, p. 599.

Library Journal. CXIII, August, 1988, p. 154.

Los Angeles Times Book Review. June 5, 1988, p. 4.

The New York Times Book Review. XCIII, September 11, 1988, p. 3.

Newsweek. CXI, March 21, 1988, p. 73.

Publishers Weekly. CCXXXIII, April 29, 1988, p. 60.

San Francisco Chronicle. July 17, 1988, p. REV7.

Time. CXXXII, July 18, 1988, p. 68.

The Washington Post Book World. XVIII, June 12, 1988, p. 3.