Yes, this is my third gay book in a row, but I fear the streak ends here. Though this book was amazing from the start, the end absolutely broke my heart. The book almost deteriorated in my hands from the tears this book caused. 

     Timothy Conigrave’s autobiography “Holding The Man” is the story of when he met his husband in his Catholic high school, which was a fair warning of the sadness to come, but I ignored it. The writing of the love story and the beautiful imagery of the coastal Australian town is what really made this book amazing. The slow and heart wrenching struggle that their HIV presented them with was what really broke me. I think that Timothy pushed through his illness to finish writing this book, as he died only ten days after finishing the memoir at the age of 34. Overall, this book was beautiful, somber, and despite being shockingly sexually graphic, tender. 

B+

Review by Ellie