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Bright Monday: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 12 Jan 27"A gorgeous—and sexy—evocation of lost love, youthful longing, and the way that time folds and expands many times during a life . . . Bright Monday is utterly delicious." —Lauren Groff
The story of a 1990s romance between two men rekindled decades later in Milan—from two-time PEN/Faulkner finalist David Leavitt, “a phenomenal and prescient writer” (Justin Torres).
Adam is translating into English his Italian friend Valeria’s new novel—a surprise bestseller she published under a pseudonym. Two days before he is scheduled to return home from Milan, he leans down to pet an especially sweet terrier and looks up to behold Francesco, the charismatic, rakish architect he hasn’t seen in three decades. When Francesco invites Adam to an Easter lunch with his family, including his wife and grandchildren, Adam finds himself drawn back into the affair that began in New York City at the height of the AIDS pandemic.
Alighting alternately on two historical moments, two cities, and two very different pandemics, Bright Monday explores with humor and compassion the ripple effects of a youthful entanglement born during one public health crisis and resurrected in the wake of another—a meditation on youth and memory shadowed by secrecy and denial yet illuminated by the persistent and bright possibility of rebirth.
The story of a 1990s romance between two men rekindled decades later in Milan—from two-time PEN/Faulkner finalist David Leavitt, “a phenomenal and prescient writer” (Justin Torres).
Adam is translating into English his Italian friend Valeria’s new novel—a surprise bestseller she published under a pseudonym. Two days before he is scheduled to return home from Milan, he leans down to pet an especially sweet terrier and looks up to behold Francesco, the charismatic, rakish architect he hasn’t seen in three decades. When Francesco invites Adam to an Easter lunch with his family, including his wife and grandchildren, Adam finds himself drawn back into the affair that began in New York City at the height of the AIDS pandemic.
Alighting alternately on two historical moments, two cities, and two very different pandemics, Bright Monday explores with humor and compassion the ripple effects of a youthful entanglement born during one public health crisis and resurrected in the wake of another—a meditation on youth and memory shadowed by secrecy and denial yet illuminated by the persistent and bright possibility of rebirth.
272 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication January 12, 2027
About the author
David Leavitt
75 books447 followersLeavitt is a graduate of Yale University and a professor at the University of Florida, where he is the co-director of the creative writing program. He is also the editor of Subtropics magazine, The University of Florida's literary review.
Leavitt, who is openly gay, has frequently explored gay issues in his work. He divides his time between Florida and Tuscany, Italy.
Leavitt, who is openly gay, has frequently explored gay issues in his work. He divides his time between Florida and Tuscany, Italy.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
When Leavitt burst onto the literary scene in the mid-'80's, he was hailed as a gay wunderkind, and I read each of his books as soon as they came out. His reputation was tarnished a bit in 1993 when Stephen Spender sued him for copyright infringement for allegedly incorporating elements of his autobiography in While England Sleeps, arguably Leavitt's best work. I kind of lost track of him, but he came back with a fun and funny book, Shelter in Place a few years back, which I found delightful, but somewhat anachronistic.
But now Leavitt has returned to his 'roots', writing what appears to be a largely autobiographical novel about a middle-aged gay writer who reconnects with an old flame in Milan, 32 years after their acrimonious split. This framing story takes place in 2022, in the midst of the Covid pandemic, but the bulk of the novel details that long ago affair back in 1990, at the height of another pandemic.
As always, Leavitt's prose, characterizations and insights into love and loss are spot-on, and it is a compelling page-turner, which I raced through in two days. Hopefully this will catapult the author back on to the bestseller lists and I wouldn't be surprised if this was a major contender for several awards when it comes out in Jan. of 2027.
My thanks to Netgalley, Bloomsbury and the author for the ARC in return for this honest and enthusiastic review.
PS: Cool cover - but it SHOULD have been of their feet, not their hands (why will become self-evident upon reading it!)
But now Leavitt has returned to his 'roots', writing what appears to be a largely autobiographical novel about a middle-aged gay writer who reconnects with an old flame in Milan, 32 years after their acrimonious split. This framing story takes place in 2022, in the midst of the Covid pandemic, but the bulk of the novel details that long ago affair back in 1990, at the height of another pandemic.
As always, Leavitt's prose, characterizations and insights into love and loss are spot-on, and it is a compelling page-turner, which I raced through in two days. Hopefully this will catapult the author back on to the bestseller lists and I wouldn't be surprised if this was a major contender for several awards when it comes out in Jan. of 2027.
My thanks to Netgalley, Bloomsbury and the author for the ARC in return for this honest and enthusiastic review.
PS: Cool cover - but it SHOULD have been of their feet, not their hands (why will become self-evident upon reading it!)
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Bright Monday is beautifully captivating. Leavitt weaves a story full of love, loss, hurt, and yearning. The scenes are taut with breathless desire. I raced through the book, desperate to catch a glimpse of two hands finding their way back to each other
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was such a brilliant and engaging novel! Understated prose, fantastic pacing, and very moving. This was my first experience with Leavitt’s writing and I will be circling back to some of his backlist now. Stylistically, the narrative and prose was reminiscent for me of Rachel Cusk’s Outline trilogy, but unique in its own right and very finely executed.
The novel centers around the narrator/protagonist Adam’s love triangle with an Italian couple in 80s AIDS era NYC when they were in their 20s. The novel is bookended by a chance encounter with his ex-lover Francesco in Milan during the Covid-19 pandemic 32 years later after they last saw each other when Francesco moved back to Italy to get married to Natalia, also Adam’s friend during that period. The middle part of the narrative was dedicated to the flashback to the 80s NYC part of their lives during the affair. What an emotional rollercoaster. I didn’t expect to be as invested in the character’s journeys as I was by the novel’s conclusion.
Overall, a fantastic narrative about growing older, growing comfortable & complacent, life & death, fate & chance, and the decisions we make that reverberate throughout the course of our lives.
The novel centers around the narrator/protagonist Adam’s love triangle with an Italian couple in 80s AIDS era NYC when they were in their 20s. The novel is bookended by a chance encounter with his ex-lover Francesco in Milan during the Covid-19 pandemic 32 years later after they last saw each other when Francesco moved back to Italy to get married to Natalia, also Adam’s friend during that period. The middle part of the narrative was dedicated to the flashback to the 80s NYC part of their lives during the affair. What an emotional rollercoaster. I didn’t expect to be as invested in the character’s journeys as I was by the novel’s conclusion.
Overall, a fantastic narrative about growing older, growing comfortable & complacent, life & death, fate & chance, and the decisions we make that reverberate throughout the course of our lives.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Overall: 4/5
Writing & Structure: 4.5/5
Relationships & Characters: 4/5
Impact & Resonance: 4.25/5
Growth, Plot & Themes: 4.25/5
Hook, Pacing & Engagement: 3.75/5
Tone, Setting & Atmosphere: 3.75/5
First, I want to thank Bloomsbury Publishing for sending me an advanced copy of "Bright Monday", which releases in January 2027.
I want to start by saying that this book likely will not be for everyone, particularly because of its pacing. "Bright Monday" is written for a specific kind of reader. This is a novel that asks you to sit with it, reflect on it, and consider what Leavitt is saying beneath what initially appears to be a relatively simple story.
And I think that simplicity is actually one of its greatest strengths.
Don't expect cliffhangers, enormous revelations, moments designed to alter your brain chemistry, or character arcs that completely blow you away. But I also think it's important to recognize that those things (or their absence) aren't necessarily what make a book good. Literary fiction, in particular, can sometimes fall victim to being judged by expectations it was never trying to meet. If you remove some of those expectations, there is a great story here.
At its center is Adam, who unexpectedly encounters Francesco after thirty years, bringing him back to the affair they shared during the height of the AIDS epidemic. Through the AIDS and COVID eras, Leavitt explores memory, aging, sexuality, secrecy, grief, and survival.
One of the ideas I found most interesting is the tension between memory and reality. Adam isn't simply meeting Francesco again; he's meeting the person Francesco has become alongside the version of Francesco he has carried with him for decades.
Reconnecting with Francesco also means that Adam is confronting the younger version of himself that existed within that relationship. The novel repeatedly asks what remains of the people we once were and whether returning to the past can actually give us anything back.
I also loved the significance of the title. "Bright Monday" refers to the Monday following Easter. Leavitt's version of resurrection isn't about returning to things exactly as they were. The past can return, but neither we nor the people within it return unchanged.
The final few pages were easily the most impactful part of the book for me. Without getting too deep into spoilers, Leavitt takes a novel framed by enormous, collective experiences of mortality, particularly AIDS and COVID, and ends with something intensely personal and ordinary.
That hit extremely close to home for me because my husband and I recently experienced something very similar. It transformed those final pages from something I understood intellectually into something I immediately recognized emotionally. I think that ending helped crystallize the novel for me.
I also wasn't expecting the novel to be nearly as sexual as it is. That's not a criticism, but it's worth mentioning: there are several very explicit sections, so readers should know that going in.
"Bright Monday" examines what happens when the life we remember collides with the life we're actually living. I believe that the novel isn't suggesting that we, as people, should reclaim our past. It's about understanding that the past remains part of us while recognizing that the life we built afterward matters just as much, and maybe not worth compromising.
Writing & Structure: 4.5/5
Relationships & Characters: 4/5
Impact & Resonance: 4.25/5
Growth, Plot & Themes: 4.25/5
Hook, Pacing & Engagement: 3.75/5
Tone, Setting & Atmosphere: 3.75/5
First, I want to thank Bloomsbury Publishing for sending me an advanced copy of "Bright Monday", which releases in January 2027.
I want to start by saying that this book likely will not be for everyone, particularly because of its pacing. "Bright Monday" is written for a specific kind of reader. This is a novel that asks you to sit with it, reflect on it, and consider what Leavitt is saying beneath what initially appears to be a relatively simple story.
And I think that simplicity is actually one of its greatest strengths.
Don't expect cliffhangers, enormous revelations, moments designed to alter your brain chemistry, or character arcs that completely blow you away. But I also think it's important to recognize that those things (or their absence) aren't necessarily what make a book good. Literary fiction, in particular, can sometimes fall victim to being judged by expectations it was never trying to meet. If you remove some of those expectations, there is a great story here.
At its center is Adam, who unexpectedly encounters Francesco after thirty years, bringing him back to the affair they shared during the height of the AIDS epidemic. Through the AIDS and COVID eras, Leavitt explores memory, aging, sexuality, secrecy, grief, and survival.
One of the ideas I found most interesting is the tension between memory and reality. Adam isn't simply meeting Francesco again; he's meeting the person Francesco has become alongside the version of Francesco he has carried with him for decades.
Reconnecting with Francesco also means that Adam is confronting the younger version of himself that existed within that relationship. The novel repeatedly asks what remains of the people we once were and whether returning to the past can actually give us anything back.
I also loved the significance of the title. "Bright Monday" refers to the Monday following Easter. Leavitt's version of resurrection isn't about returning to things exactly as they were. The past can return, but neither we nor the people within it return unchanged.
The final few pages were easily the most impactful part of the book for me. Without getting too deep into spoilers, Leavitt takes a novel framed by enormous, collective experiences of mortality, particularly AIDS and COVID, and ends with something intensely personal and ordinary.
That hit extremely close to home for me because my husband and I recently experienced something very similar. It transformed those final pages from something I understood intellectually into something I immediately recognized emotionally. I think that ending helped crystallize the novel for me.
I also wasn't expecting the novel to be nearly as sexual as it is. That's not a criticism, but it's worth mentioning: there are several very explicit sections, so readers should know that going in.
"Bright Monday" examines what happens when the life we remember collides with the life we're actually living. I believe that the novel isn't suggesting that we, as people, should reclaim our past. It's about understanding that the past remains part of us while recognizing that the life we built afterward matters just as much, and maybe not worth compromising.
August 24, 2026
**Arc Review**
David Leavitt’s Bright Monday was an addictive read. A frame narrative detailing past morally ambiguous relationships and current rekindlings, this book captures the nuances of human relationships and begs the question: Can our choices lead to a destiny we were never meant to follow, or do they eventually lead us back to where we were always meant to belong?
I loved the relationship dynamics in this book and its exploration of morality. The character studies posed interesting questions, and I found myself wanting to know these characters in my real life. I truly couldn’t put it down. Bravo!
David Leavitt’s Bright Monday was an addictive read. A frame narrative detailing past morally ambiguous relationships and current rekindlings, this book captures the nuances of human relationships and begs the question: Can our choices lead to a destiny we were never meant to follow, or do they eventually lead us back to where we were always meant to belong?
I loved the relationship dynamics in this book and its exploration of morality. The character studies posed interesting questions, and I found myself wanting to know these characters in my real life. I truly couldn’t put it down. Bravo!
Did Not Finish
September 13, 2026DNF page 104. sigh. i can tell a lot of people will like this but i am wholly uninterested and don’t want to suck it up for another 200 pages.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was everything I wanted it to be. And I am gutted.
I had personal interests in this novel, of both having work experience with HIV/AIDS and Covid, I also have a yearning heart that hoped to relate to Adam as he's sort of forced to recount this particular and messy relationship with Francesco. My personal interests aside..
This is my first introduction into Leavitt's work and I feel like this story was told to me by a friend. While this novel is on the shorter side, I consider this a slow burn, not in terms of romance, but that there is a lot of set up required to really get into the meat of the narrative.
Despite the time that's passed, this novel shows the depth of emotion in our youth, a journey into forgetting it, and the painful and nostalgic feelings that come up when forced to address the past.
I'm in awe of the raw emotions captured in this novel. History is complex and messy and I felt every bit of excitement and heartache that Adam felt. Heavy on the heartache. What a wonderful piece.
Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury US for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I had personal interests in this novel, of both having work experience with HIV/AIDS and Covid, I also have a yearning heart that hoped to relate to Adam as he's sort of forced to recount this particular and messy relationship with Francesco. My personal interests aside..
This is my first introduction into Leavitt's work and I feel like this story was told to me by a friend. While this novel is on the shorter side, I consider this a slow burn, not in terms of romance, but that there is a lot of set up required to really get into the meat of the narrative.
Despite the time that's passed, this novel shows the depth of emotion in our youth, a journey into forgetting it, and the painful and nostalgic feelings that come up when forced to address the past.
I'm in awe of the raw emotions captured in this novel. History is complex and messy and I felt every bit of excitement and heartache that Adam felt. Heavy on the heartache. What a wonderful piece.
Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury US for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Quiet, philosophical, but also sexy! It's about desire, choice, YEARNING. At first, I thought it was the kind of slow book that could take a month or so to finish, but even during a severe reading slump, I finished in a couple days. The characters are messy and make mistakes, but they are still so easy to root for. Highly recommend!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Contemplative, messy, sexy, and full of yearning.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
jesus god there was no more perfect book to read in this moment than this one. this is CALL ME BY YOUR NAME for grown ups. ow
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews