Nova Scotia House

Johnny Grant is at a point where he has to make hard decisions about his life. To find his way, he looks back at his years with Jerry Field. They met nearly thirty years ago, when Johnny was 19 and Jerry was 45.

The two fell in love and built a life on their own terms in Jerry's flat, 1, Nova Scotia House. Johnny still lives there. Jerry is gone, and the world they shared has gone with him.

The novel moves between past and present as Johnny's mind drifts. Memories of Jerry's youth surface: experiments in living, radical philosophies, and the many forms love, sex and friendship could take before the AIDS crisis devastated the queer community.

The book is a love story and a lament at once. It bears witness to the lasting pain of the AIDS pandemic while honouring the joy and creativity of queer life. Grief and desire sit side by side, and the tone is intimate.

As the memories accumulate, Johnny slowly works out what he must do next. He sets out to restore ways of living that could be lost for good.