
Tim Murphy's massive and fearless debut novel has a daunting task: covering the AIDS pandemic from the early 1980s into the year 2021 without becoming pedantic. Christodora, however, flourishes as a sweeping and moving novel filled with vivid and complex characters who engender empathy and affection.
Set in the Christodora, a towering apartment building in Manhattan's East Village, Murphy's epic family saga acts as a microcosm of the massive changes in New York City over four decades. Through the tenants' lives, Murphy shows how the East Village evolved from a desolate area filled with junkies and crime to an affordable place for brave bohemian artists who were then pushed out by moneyed hipsters and corporate greed.
While the action jumps around in time, the compelling cast keeps the reader anchored to their individual stories involving AIDS activism, addiction, family secrets and mental health issues. Memorable core characters include Mateo, the drug-addicted adopted son of two wealthy East Village artists, Jared and Milly Traum; Hector, a longtime gay activist who starts using meth as a coping device after the death of his partner; and HIV-positive and pregnant Issy. Murphy, who reported on HIV/AIDS issues for more than two decades in POZ, Out and the Advocate, knows the landscape of that ongoing pandemic, but never allows the human stories to get bogged down by the minutiae of medical science and politics. Christodora is an epic told with compassion, surprising humor and a strong sense of history and pacing. --Kevin Howell, independent reviewer and marketing consultant