Fiction Monday (sort of): Holding the Man by Timothy Conigrave

Okay, I admit it, today’s book review isn’t really “fiction”. It’s a review of the Australian playwright Tommy Murphy’s adaption for the stage of Timothy Conigrave’s bestselling autobiographical work, Holding the Man. I apologize for diverging a bit from my usual Monday offering, but I just read this and I had to write about it.

Timothy (Tim) Conigrave was an Australian actor, writer and activist who died of an AIDS related illness in October of 1994. He finished Holding the Man, a book about his 15 year love affair with John Caleo, just before his death. John had succumbed to cancer in January of 1992. They were both diagnosed as HIV positive in 1985.

Some will stay this is a story of AIDS. It is that, but it’s so much more than that. It’s also a coming out of the closet of sorts story. It’s a coming to terms with family and society story. Most of all though, theirs is a relationship story and a love story that isn’t gender important. If you’ve ever been truly in love, you’ll see yourself in these two men no matter if you’re gay or straight, male or female.

You may laugh a bit during this story. There is much joy in romance. Quite frankly though, I don’t care how hard hearted you think you are, you’re also going to cry. There’s no fairy tale ending here. The decline of John and the end of the book are filled with suffering, grief and raw emotion. Be prepared for that.

Trust me, you won’t be down after you read this even though it ends so sadly. You’ll be lifted.