This novel focuses on three main characters involved
in a hate crime. Alex is the HIV positive victim who was attacked while sitting
in his car. Clinton Cole is the prime suspect who has made his intolerance for
Alex and his disease well known. The eyewitness is Daria, a neighborhood teen
with Down’s syndrome. The author alternates chapters, writing from each
character’s point of view. The story moves along toward the ending, but the
readers must draw their own conclusions and decide who is telling the truth
based on each character’s recollection of what happened to Alex that morning.

This
book is a painful look into what someone diagnosed with HIV must go through
every day. Alex has to deal with his family, the disease, and how others treat
not only him, but also his family. Flinn writes with brutal honesty about the
stigma still associated with this disease. She brilliantly shows the
assumptions made by uninformed people, and the hatred that can develop from
ignorance.

The
background of each character is well developed to let the reader see how Alex
and Clinton got to this point in their lives. Flinn adds suspense to the story
by not revealing how Alex contracted the disease until deep into the book. All
of the reactions and feelings of the characters are genuine and this can be
uncomfortable to read. This book makes the readers put themselves in the
characters place and wonder how they would handle the same situations. Flinn
has written a provocative book that will have readers asking themselves many
tough questions.

© 2006 Amy Ridley

Amy Ridley
received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Boston University.

Categories: Children, Sexuality