When Leavitt burst onto the literary scene in the mid-'80's, he was hailed as a gay wunderkind, and I read each of his books as soon as they came out. His reputation was tarnished a bit in 1993 when Stephen Spender sued him for copyright infringement for allegedly incorporating elements of his autobiography in While England Sleeps, arguably Leavitt's best work. I kind of lost track of him, but he came back with a fun and funny book, Shelter in Place a few years back, which I found delightful, but somewhat anachronistic.

But now Leavitt has returned to his 'roots', writing what appears to be a largely autobiographical novel about a middle-aged gay writer who reconnects with an old flame in Milan, 32 years after their acrimonious split. This framing story takes place in 2022, in the midst of the Covid pandemic, but the bulk of the novel details that long ago affair back in 1990, at the height of another pandemic.

As always, Leavitt's prose, characterizations and insights into love and loss are spot-on, and it is a compelling page-turner, which I raced through in two days. Hopefully this will catapult the author back on to the bestseller lists and I wouldn't be surprised if this was a major contender for several awards when it comes out in Jan. of 2027.

My thanks to Netgalley, Penguin and the author for the ARC in return for this honest and enthusiastic review.

PS: Cool cover - but it SHOULD have been of their feet, not their hands (why will become self-evident upon reading it!)

This was such a brilliant and engaging novel! Understated prose, fantastic pacing, and very moving. This was my first experience with Leavitt’s writing and I will be circling back to some of his backlist now. Stylistically, the narrative and prose was reminiscent for me of Rachel Cusk’s earlier works like the Outline trilogy, but still unique and finely executed.

The novel centers around the narrator/protagonist Adam’s love triangle with an Italian couple in 80s AIDS era NYC when they were in their 20s. The novel is bookended by a chance encounter with his ex-lover Francesco in Milan during the Covid-19 pandemic 32 years later after they last saw each other when Francesco moved back to Italy to get married to Natalia, also Adam’s friend during that period. The middle part of the narrative was dedicated to this part of their lives during the affair. What an emotional rollercoaster. I didn’t expect to be as invested in the character’s journeys as I did by the novel’s conclusion.

Overall, a fantastic narrative about growing older, growing comfortable & complacent, life & death, fate & chance, and the decisions we make that reverberate throughout the course of our lives.

This was everything I wanted it to be. And I am gutted.

I had personal interests in this novel, of both having work experience with HIV/AIDS and Covid, I also have a yearning heart that hoped to relate to Adam as he's sort of forced to recount this particular and messy relationship with Francesco. My personal interests aside..

This is my first introduction into Leavitt's work and I feel like this story was told to me by a friend. While this novel is on the shorter side, I consider this a slow burn, not in terms of romance, but that there is a lot of set up required to really get into the meat of the narrative.

Despite the time that's passed, this novel shows the depth of emotion in our youth, a journey into forgetting it, and the painful and nostalgic feelings that come up when forced to address the past.

I'm in awe of the raw emotions captured in this novel. History is complex and messy and I felt every bit of excitement and heartache that Adam felt. Heavy on the heartache. What a wonderful piece.

Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury US for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bright Monday is a beautiful story about desire, queer yearning, and second chances at life. The plot itself is simple - our protagonist, Adam, is hired to translate his Italian friend's new novel, and while in Milan, he unexpectedly encounters his old fling, Francesco. Part 2 takes us on an emotional (and sexy) journey as we learn about Adam and Francesco's thrilling affair that took place in New York City during the AIDS pandemic. I am obsessed with Adam and Francesco's messy romance through both timelines. David Leavitt managed to capture a whole spectrum of raw emotions, and I was just glad to be along for the ride.

In Bright Monday, David Leavitt beautifully captures the strange intimacy of revisiting a love that belongs to another lifetime. Moving between New York during the AIDS crisis and Milan decades later, the novel explores how desire, memory, and regret change with age, yet never quite disappear. Leavitt writes with wit, tenderness, and a keen eye for the contradictions of the human heart. A sexy, bittersweet, and deeply humane story about the past we carry and the unexpected ways it finds us again.