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A review by kaje_harper
Caregiver by Rick R. Reed
5.0
One of the best things about this book is that, despite the mock protest in the prologue, it does read exactly like a memoir. The plot is complex, the characters imperfect, and the resolution is satisfying despite some bittersweet moments. That prologue put me off slightly (it's hard to hit the right tone when pretending to write from the outside about your own book) but stick with this story - as soon as the narrative actually began I was hooked.
This is an account of Dan, a young man who moved to a new city to help his boyfriend escape addiction, and who volunteers for the AIDS Alliance buddy program as a way to meet people and be useful as he looks for work. His assigned buddy, Adam, meets him at the door on Dan's first visit in a black dress, pearls and kitten heels. Adam is funny and wry and acerbic and brave and foolish. He lights up the story in the scenes he is in, and drives much of the rest of it. A wonderful character, even though he's not one of the romantic leads.
One of the reasons this also feels like memoir to me is that there is just a slight distance in the writing, so that the sometimes agonizingly painful moments here are intense but not all-encompassing, at least for me. It is emotional, but not angsty. It feels true, and is an engaging read, and probably my favorite work from the talented Rick Reed. Recommended.
This is an account of Dan, a young man who moved to a new city to help his boyfriend escape addiction, and who volunteers for the AIDS Alliance buddy program as a way to meet people and be useful as he looks for work. His assigned buddy, Adam, meets him at the door on Dan's first visit in a black dress, pearls and kitten heels. Adam is funny and wry and acerbic and brave and foolish. He lights up the story in the scenes he is in, and drives much of the rest of it. A wonderful character, even though he's not one of the romantic leads.
One of the reasons this also feels like memoir to me is that there is just a slight distance in the writing, so that the sometimes agonizingly painful moments here are intense but not all-encompassing, at least for me. It is emotional, but not angsty. It feels true, and is an engaging read, and probably my favorite work from the talented Rick Reed. Recommended.