A divorce, deadly infection, arguments and everything in between. This is not the latest episode of your favourite soap but is the final story in a series with five preceding books leading up to this point. But does the final tale give us the long-awaited satisfactory ending?
Sure of You wraps up the stories of Mary Ann, Brian, Michael, Thack, Mrs Madrigal and the range of characters explored in the first five volumes. The sixth standalone story, and the final in the series, sees big stakes rising for our characters, including a lucrative job offer on the other side of the country, the search for love, and dealing with the progression of the HIV/AIDS virus, all intertwined into a boiling pot of pain. Will any of our characters’ friendships or relationships survive, or are we leaving our familiar faces more alone than when we found them?
I’ve read three of these now. The fourth was good, the fifth was better and the sixth…was a let-down in comparison. It wasn’t a bad story as such, but it definitely felt at several points like it was just tying up loose ends. The character development was hit-or-miss throughout, with some storylines actively engaging, and others just feeling like the connective tissue making the rest of the story into a full-length book. The fifth volume being so enjoyable probably contributed to this one feeling less enjoyable, but there were times I was actively looking forward to a chapter ending, to get back to characters I’d rather read about.
It’s sad that the final book wasn’t as good as those which came before, especially with some very good elements and being the final chapter in these characters’ stories. I feel like we need some closure on a lot of them, but in the form of an epilogue rather than another book. I like the characters, but six stories is definitely enough of their lives!
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Sure of You (ISBN: 0-552-99881-8) was published in 1989. A copy is available to borrow from the LGBTQ+ Lending Library in the LGBTQ+ Lounge
