Lucas Rocha

i didn't love this book, but it was good and it absolutely achieved its goal as far as i am concerned. i learned so much about hiv that i didn't know. i didn't really realize it, but my assumptions about hiv and aids were mostly from so long ago. things have changed so much and i had no idea that it's really no longer such a big deal at all, as long as it's managed well and responsive to treatment. so i learned a lot about transmission and hopefulness relative to the virus.

as to the book itself - i really liked the community that rocha created. i enjoyed seeing these (mostly) men and drag queens care for each other and be found family for each other. i love the way he depicted the gay community, and even showed that not everyone can be counted on or be a positive part of that group. what i mean is that it felt realistic, without dwelling on the negative, and this allowed the heavier parts of the story to be balanced by a more positive realism. the friendships were really nice to witness.

the writing was fine. nothing to special and obviously with an agenda. but i enjoyed spending time with the characters and seeing them work through everything they needed to as they learned about hiv alongside me. this book hits its mark. i will never look at hiv the way i did before, now that i know better, now that i know that times have changed.… (mais)

Lucas Rocha saw a need for honest discussion and portrayals of gay characters in Brazil, so he wrote Where We Go From Here. Narrated by three young men at different places with HIV, Where We Go tells a positive and affirming story about friendship and acceptance. The novel contains lost of stock characters--the drag queen, the supportive straight friend, the encouraging parents, the disapproving parent, etc.--but the main characters are well-drawn and multi-dimensional. Rocha also handles everything with a deft touch that makes even the preachy parts go down pretty easily. I highly recommend this book for readers of Adam Silvera, Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Becky Albertalli, and other YA readers, but it could be life-changing for the right student; a good story, fun characters, and important information about HIV,… (mais)

“Where We Go From Here’ is about living with HIV/AIDS in Brazil. It’s about testing positive, living with HIV in your life, finding out that a loved one is infected, dating when you have HIV and when you don’t… and it’s about living.

This novel is very much driven by the fact that the three main characters are all at different stages of their relationship to HIV.

Ian is eighteen when he goes to the clinic for an HIV test. It comes back positive and his future is defined in a conversation with a nurse. Ian asks her, “where do we go from here?” And she responds with, “you…” He realizes that he is on his own.

Victor is also at the same clinic being tested. He was dating a man who told him that he was HIV positive after they had already had sex. Granted, it was. Protected sex and everything was very careful but victor can’t help feeling as though he’s been betrayed somehow. He sees a distraught Ian on his way out fo the clinic and offers comfort and his phone number. After all, he knows someone who is HIV positive.

Henrique is the man that was dating Victor. He is HIV positive but he’s undetectable. He would never put anyone at risk but he’s still not surprised that Victor has suddenly vanished from his life. He’s not surprised because it’s happened to him before. His previous boyfriend ghosted him after he found out that his own HIV test was negative. He didn’t just move on, he moved to an entirely different country.

There are some really relevant perspectives in this book. One of the things that I found most poignant was Ian’s first thought after finding out about his positive test: “What will HIV take away from me?” Being diagnosed and “dealing” with it are such personal journals but it’s interesting to see the way in which the characters differ in this story.

Victor goes through several emotions and internal battles throughout the course of this novel. He finds himself feeling connected to Henrique even while feeling terrified to continue a relationship with him. He’s young and still learning how to communicate his feelings and it certainly trips him up a few times over the course of his relationship with Henrique.

Henrique is struggling to believe that life with HIV is ever going to be “normal” again. Even though he knows that having HIV is no longer a “death sentence”, he’s exhausted by how much effort all of his relationships seem to take.

Everything in the novel comes to a head when Henrique and Victor have a huge argument. They both say hurtful things in the heat of anger and can’t seem to move past it. But, a horrible incident in Henrique’s life gives everyone an opportunity to work together.

The characters in this book are interesting and I really enjoyed the different perspectives shared in this novel. There are many people still living with HIV and it seems as though there is still a struggle for many people in Brazil in terms of the discrimination they face.… (mais)