Halfway Home: A Novel

Tom tried everything to get away from the world—but it had a way of getting back to him

When Tom was diagnosed with AIDS, he thought of it as a death sentence. His life was effectively over. He packed up everything and moved to a beach house in California. There, he could live out what remained of his life in peace. His landlord was kind, understanding—and interested in him romantically. Tom had found the safe haven he sought. That is, until his brother, Brian, reappeared in his life.

Brian’s shady business connections back home have him and his family on the run. With him are his homophobic wife, Susan, and his son, Daniel, who has never met his uncle. Thrown into an explosive situation, Tom and his family struggle to become closer. But when Brian’s dirty dealings follow him to California and threaten the lives of the entire family, the bond between the two brothers is put to the test.

Paul Monette displays a keen awareness of family dynamics as he explores coming out, life-threatening illness, and the lifelong consequences of brotherly conflicts. Halfway Home is a novel about anger and reconciliation, love and danger.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Paul Monette including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the Paul Monette papers of the UCLA Library Special Collections.