Play Book Tag discussion

The year is 1987 and AIDS has become a world-wide medical tragedy. Fourteen-year-old June Elbus knows her beloved uncle Finn is dying slowly from the disease. He is the most important person in her life: friend, confidant as well as her godfather. She spends as much time with him as possible and the two share a love of life and deep enjoyment of each other's company. When he inevitably dies, June is heartbroken and when she receives a package and a note from a stranger she is surprised. The package contains a teapot that belonged to Finn and it's a treasure June has always loved. The note is from a man named Toby, someone June has never heard of. She soon learns that Toby was Finn's partner for nearly a decade and June is eager to make his acquaintance. At first June is jealous of Toby's secret history with Finn but their friendship becomes the most important thing in June's life. June keeps her meetings with Toby secret from her family as she knows her parents hate him, blaming him for Finn's death. The friendship also impacts June's relationship with her older sister Greta, driving a wedge between the closeness they have always shared.

I enjoyed this book very much and really liked the characters. It seemed a bit odd that such a young teenager would have so much freedom to roam NYC at will but her relationships with both Finn and Toby were extraordinarily sweet. She certainly learned about selfless love at a tender age.