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ejb44's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
*Thank you NetGalley for the copy of this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. *
Where We Go From Here by Lucas Rocha is a Portuguese translated novel about the lives of three young men and how HIV has impacted their experiences as gay men. Ian just found out he is HIV positive. Victor finds out the person he’s interested in is HIV positive and Henrique has been diagnosed for 3 years. The intertwining stories of these men beautifully deals with what it means to love, grow, trust and educate whilst dealing with the diagnosis of HIV.
Brazilian author Rocha attempts to dissect modern misconceptions regarding HIV, especially those present in his home country, Brazil, which has been largely recognised as having one of the most effective responses to the HIV epidemic. Despite it being over 50 years since the largest outbreak in the West of AIDS and HIV, social perception of the virus has changed very little, with fears today surrounding hugging, kissing and starting a sexual relationship with someone HIV positive. The lack of accurate information regarding the topic has created a society largely unaware of how the virus is dealt with in the 21st century. This is where Rocha comes in to bridge the gap in the market.
While this book is fictional, I think because of the focus on HIV, there is a lot of long conversations which are purely there for the reader to learn from, as opposed to being beneficial to the development of the characters themselves. This ties in with fact that I think most of the characters are very two dimensional, and their whole existence in this book is to educate the readers about HIV. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing because I think it is indeed really educational, but it was hard to really like the characters when they barely have a life outside of their status.
One of the best things about this book, however, was the accurate range in emotions to the virus. While this book could have focused on “it’s no longer dangerous therefore you’re wrong for thinking bad of me”, it instead acknowledges the nuances of the topic as well as the fact that humans are a victim to the falsehoods we grow up hearing. No one person is portrayed as being more correct or superior because of their relationship with the virus, but the characters are portrayed on their own journey of confronting their perceptions and what they can do to change their mindset, which was really well done!
One last comment – despite the book being set in Brazil, I didn’t really feel like it had the Brazilian setting which I was hoping for. Due to the fact that this book is very much focused on the virus over the characters, other aspects of the book like writing, characters and setting take a slight step back. The only way I could describe this book is as if it’s a mix of fiction and nonfiction because the fictional aspect isn’t really emphasised too much.
Overall, a really good educational read and a massive achievement from the author, but I felt it could have improved on the ‘fictional’ side of the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Outing
mezzano's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A few months back, I attended a virtual book promotion where Alice Oseman, Leah Johnson, and Lucas Rocha discussed the importance of positive and happy queer narratives for teenagers and young adults. While I knew the premises behind both Oseman and Johnson's works, that experience had been the first time I was introduced to Rocha and his upcoming book. While Lucas Rocha talked about his inspiration for Where We Go From Here, I found it hard to picture a story about AIDS as one which could have a realistic and uplifting message. What I realize now, months after attending the virtual event, was that I was still holding onto internalized homophobia and prejudice against HIV. The book, Where We Go From Here is an incredibly sensitive and timely story about three individuals whose stories all converge at their experiences enduring and overcoming the stigma which surrounds HIV.
Through telling the story with the perspective of three main characters, Where We Go From Here holds a level of nuance which is unmatched by other popular books surrounding HIV. All three characters are allowed to express their feelings, fears, and prejudices in order to grow into more understanding people. By having a person who has been living with HIV, a person recently diagnosed, and a character recently confirmed as HIV negative, Rocha masterfully touches on the sensitive aspects of HIV which is still largely taboo. A turning point in the story is when one of the character's says that the true curse of the disease is how society views an HIV positive person. HIV has become a manageable chronic condition, but people still reject the individual and treat their illness as a personal falling. This is seen through the heartbreak of one of the main characters.
Where there is heartbreak, there is also a deep sense of community. The comradery and support the characters have from others is uplifting. As characters learn to live with their new diagnosis, other characters serve as a support system to affirm positive messages. Characters are reminded that HIV is no longer a death sentence, and that with proper medical treatment a normal life is possible. There are details I learned about HIV that I have never learned in sexual education classes, like the fact that you can catch multiple strains of HIV. The fact that options for healthy and safe sex with HIV is discussed, such as explaining what undetectable status means and what PreP does, is so important to see in young adult literature. Knowing that there are options to practice safe sex with or without HIV is something that everyone should have some understanding of.
The only aspect of the book I wish had been better executed was the fact that many of the characters had the same voice, which made following along to each of the three perspectives difficult as I read the story as an audiobook. Had the voices been more distinct, this would have easily been a five star read for me.
Through telling the story with the perspective of three main characters, Where We Go From Here holds a level of nuance which is unmatched by other popular books surrounding HIV. All three characters are allowed to express their feelings, fears, and prejudices in order to grow into more understanding people. By having a person who has been living with HIV, a person recently diagnosed, and a character recently confirmed as HIV negative, Rocha masterfully touches on the sensitive aspects of HIV which is still largely taboo. A turning point in the story is when one of the character's says that the true curse of the disease is how society views an HIV positive person. HIV has become a manageable chronic condition, but people still reject the individual and treat their illness as a personal falling. This is seen through the heartbreak of one of the main characters.
Where there is heartbreak, there is also a deep sense of community. The comradery and support the characters have from others is uplifting. As characters learn to live with their new diagnosis, other characters serve as a support system to affirm positive messages. Characters are reminded that HIV is no longer a death sentence, and that with proper medical treatment a normal life is possible. There are details I learned about HIV that I have never learned in sexual education classes, like the fact that you can catch multiple strains of HIV. The fact that options for healthy and safe sex with HIV is discussed, such as explaining what undetectable status means and what PreP does, is so important to see in young adult literature. Knowing that there are options to practice safe sex with or without HIV is something that everyone should have some understanding of.
The only aspect of the book I wish had been better executed was the fact that many of the characters had the same voice, which made following along to each of the three perspectives difficult as I read the story as an audiobook. Had the voices been more distinct, this would have easily been a five star read for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Sexual content
Minor: Blood
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