After Francesco

Advance praise for Brian Malloy and After Francesco   “With characters who are flawed and funny, courageous and fearful, Brian Malloy tells a story that could serve as a guidebook on how to love, how to fight for those we love, and how to honor those we've lost without losing ourselves. Beautifully written and infused with a sly humor, After Francesco is a love letter to life.” —Lorna Landvik, author of Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons “Heart-breaking, gut-wrenching, yet somehow also sweet and funny, After Francesco is a must-read for those who survived the AIDS epidemic, those who merely witnessed it, and those who never knew about it but need to know now. Brian Malloy has crafted a universal tale of grief and resilience.” —Bonnie Kistler, author of House on Fire   “Furious, funny, and beautiful, After Francesco immerses the reader in the crisis of the AIDS epidemic in 1980s in New York. Brian Malloy has created a cast of characters so memorable—so vividly witty and aggrieved and brave and bewildered—you'll never want to put this novel down.” —Julie Schumacher, author of Dear Committee Members   “This is a character I trust completely as a reader, a character who accesses sharp gallows humor as readily as tears, a character both insecure and brave, a character who effortlessly evokes the 1980s East Village he loves but despises. This book centers around a convincing love story, something uncommon enough, but more than that it’s a book about the strength of friendships that are forged in the face of so many enemies and threats. Honest, sarcastic, bighearted—you'll wish it didn't have to end.” —John Brandon, author of Further Joy Praise for Brian Malloy: "A tribute to Malloy's skill." —The New York Times on THE YEAR OF ICE "The Year of Ice is a grabber from the get-go. . . . Family dysfunction, honor, and honesty are all major themes, filtered through the limitation's of a teenager's mind-set and handled with deft humor." —The Minneapolis Star Tribune "Malloy masterfully blends the page turning plot and brooding atmosphere of neo-noir with an affecting sensitivity to the stuggle for human connection." —Out on BRENDAN WOLF

Praise for Brian Malloy and After Francesco
 
“The thing about love stories is that they never truly end, especially true when a relationship ends in tragedy, when the surviving partner is forced to go on while the ghost of their lover lingers. So it is for Kevin, whose partner Francesco has died of AIDS…Like Rebecca Makkai's The Great Believers, author-activist Malloy's newest novel is a heartrending portrayal of the realities of healing.” – Oprah Mag, Best LGBTQ Books of 2021
 
“In this highly recommended novel, the pain and rage felt by Kevin and those in the trenches with him is palpable and uncomfortable and real. So too is the love and warmth of spirit they manage to nurture in order to survive.”- Library Journal STARRED REVIEW
 
“Tender…filled with humor, grief, heartbreak, recovery, the endurance of love and, eventually, hope.” – The St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"After Francesco is a gorgeous and cathartic read that will enrich the way you understand a painful moment in American history.” – Apple Books, Best Books of the Month
 
“[After Francesco] is not dark and gloomy; it comes with quite a lot of humor, rays of bright sunlight, and an overall feeling that there’s nothing more powerful than love, life, and hope…a truly amazing book.” – Rainbow Book Reviews
 
“With characters who are flawed and funny, courageous and fearful, Brian Malloy tells a story that could serve as a guidebook on how to love, how to fight for those we love, and how to honor those we’ve lost without losing ourselves. Beautifully written and infused with sly humor, After Francesco is a love letter to life.”—Lorna Landvik, author of Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons
 
“Heart-breaking, gut-wrenching, yet somehow also sweet and funny, After Francesco is a must-read for those who survived the AIDS epidemic, those who merely witnessed it, and those who never knew about it but need to know now. Brian Malloy has crafted a universal tale of grief and resilience.” —Bonnie Kistler, author of House on Fire
 
“Furious, funny, and beautiful, After Francesco immerses the reader in the crisis of the AIDS epidemic in 1980s in New York. Brian Malloy has created a cast of characters so memorable—so vividly witty and aggrieved and brave and bewildered—you’ll never want to put this novel down.” —Julie Schumacher, author of Dear Committee Members
 
“This is a character I trust completely as a reader, a character who accesses sharp gallows humor as readily as tears, a character both insecure and brave, a character who effortlessly evokes the 1980s East Village he loves but despises. This book centers around a convincing love story, something uncommon enough, but more than that it’s a book about the strength of friendships that are forged in the face of so many enemies and threats. Honest, sarcastic, bighearted—you’ll wish it didn’t have to end.” —John Brandon, author of Further Joy