Book Review - The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios
I was browsing the new fiction section at the library and saw a book of short fiction by Yann Martel, author of Life of Pi. I was a little leary when I found they were stories he had written before Pi. The thought crossed my mind that maybe he was just cashing in on his popularity by putting out some old stuff that wasn't that good. I was wrong, though. The stories were very well written and I'm glad I took the chance and checked the book out.
The title story was the most affecting. The first person narrative recounts the tale of a young man dying of AIDS and his friend's (the narrator) efforts to keep him engaged while making up an ongoing story of a fictional family, the Roccamatios. Mixed within the summaries of their made up story's chapters (none of the details are divulged) is how the family, the young man and the friend deal with the illness, hospital stay, drug treatments and the inevitability of his death.
As I was getting to the end of the story, I realized tears were silently rolling down my cheeks. The story could not help but bring back memories of our great friend, Danny, who left us several years ago. The story captured the same scenarios we went through...hospital visits, different drug therapies, morphine and its side effects, trying to find anything positive to focus on, Danny's determination to beat the disease alternating with the despairing reality that he would not.
I still cry those silent tears on occasion. Driving by the Mayo clinic where he was treated, on July 3rd - Danny's birthday, on Thanksgiving - the day he left us and sometimes just when something triggers a memory of Dan and his humor, his warmth, his great talent...any of those things can set me off.
I miss you, Danilo.
The title story was the most affecting. The first person narrative recounts the tale of a young man dying of AIDS and his friend's (the narrator) efforts to keep him engaged while making up an ongoing story of a fictional family, the Roccamatios. Mixed within the summaries of their made up story's chapters (none of the details are divulged) is how the family, the young man and the friend deal with the illness, hospital stay, drug treatments and the inevitability of his death.
As I was getting to the end of the story, I realized tears were silently rolling down my cheeks. The story could not help but bring back memories of our great friend, Danny, who left us several years ago. The story captured the same scenarios we went through...hospital visits, different drug therapies, morphine and its side effects, trying to find anything positive to focus on, Danny's determination to beat the disease alternating with the despairing reality that he would not.
I still cry those silent tears on occasion. Driving by the Mayo clinic where he was treated, on July 3rd - Danny's birthday, on Thanksgiving - the day he left us and sometimes just when something triggers a memory of Dan and his humor, his warmth, his great talent...any of those things can set me off.
I miss you, Danilo.
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