The Great Believers: A Novel

The Great Believers follows two interconnected narratives spanning from 1985 Chicago to contemporary Paris. In 1985, Yale Tishman, a development director at a Chicago art gallery, is preparing to acquire an important collection of 1920s paintings. As his career advances, the AIDS epidemic devastates his circle of friends. After his friend Nico's death, Yale finds himself increasingly isolated, with only Nico's sister Fiona remaining in his life. Thirty years later, Fiona travels to Paris searching for her estranged daughter, who has disappeared into a cult. While staying with an old friend—a photographer who documented the Chicago crisis—Fiona confronts the profound impact AIDS had on her life and her relationship with her daughter. The two timelines explore how Yale and Fiona each seek meaning and goodness amid personal and collective tragedy.