Full Circle Book

In novels such as Last Summer and Looking For It, Michael Thomas Ford has honestly and lovingly explored the intimate details of gay men?s lives, from hot sex and lasting relationships to friendship and the search for family. Now he?s crafted his most extraordinary novel yet, a powerful saga of three friends and lovers whose story spans decades and whose bonds have finally come Full Circle. History professor Ned Brummel is living happily with his partner of twelve years in small-town Maine when he receives a phone call from his estranged friend?Jack?telling him that another friend?Andy?is very ill and possibly near death. It is news that shatters the peace of his world for many reasons. And as Ned boards a plane to Chicago on his way to his friend?s bedside, he embarks on another journey into memory, examining the major events and small moments that have shaped his world and his relationships with these two very different, very important men. Growing up together through the restrictive 1950?s and confusing ?60?s, Jackson "Jack" Grace and Ned Brummel took solace in their love for each other. But once they arrive at college in 1969 and meet handsome farm boy Andy Kowalski, everything changes. Despite Andy?s apparent heterosexuality, both Jack and Ned fall hard for him, straining their close friendship. Soon, the three men will become involved in a series of intense liaisons and bitter betrayals, coming together and flying apart, as they alternately hurt, love, shape, and heal one another over the course of years. From the heady, drug- and sex-fueled days of San Francisco in the wild seventies to the haunting spectre of AIDS in the eighties and the righteous activism of the nineties, their relationship transforms and grows, reflecting the changes going on around them. Now, together again in the most crucial and intimate of settings, Ned, Jack, and Andy have another chance to confront the damage of the past and embrace the bonds of friendship and love that have stood the test of time. Full Circle is a wonderfully moving chronicle of three friends that is also an unflinching, triumphant celebration of the power of gay friendships, of the deep bonds forged despite strong obstacles, and of the love that is ultimately the most important thing we can ever share.Read More