It’s 1994 and student Felix van der Elsken has just arrived at JFK airport to begin his studies at an unspecified New York university. Felix is young, gay, and desperately looking for connection and a way to shape his identity. A few months after his stay, he meets a young scientist named Helena. New York in 1994 is in the throes of the AIDS-epidemic, and Helena has made it her mission to find a cure in a decidedly unorthodox fashion. Felix is toying with the idea of becoming a journalist and decides to write about Helena’s research for his student newspaper. But the more he talks to Helena, the more he feels sucked into her plans.
I’ve borrowed this book from the library three times before finally reading it. I’m not sure why; every time I was at the library the plot seemed interesting, but whenever I got home I always passed it up to read something else. The reason I did pick it up is that I was at a playground and my eldest had commandeered my ereader. It was an easier read than I expected; it’s a page turner for sure, and I finished it the same day (though the last few chapters were more out of principle). In that sense, it’s an easy read and it’s an engaging book.
The novel wasn’t entirely what I expected; the blurb on the back makes it seem like the focus is very much on the AIDS epidemic, and the parallels with the titular Ivanov, an actual 1920s Soviet researcher who tried to create a human-monkey hybrid. But Ivanov barely makes an appearance, and the book focuses more on Felix’ soul-searching and his connection to Helena. Unfortunately, that’s the least interesting part.
The research itself is, predictably, unsetting, but the conclusion of the novel is kind of a dud, and the characters never really develop. Felix does a lot of admonishing towards his younger self and can’t seem to decide whether he’s shy and reserved or an outgoing, promiscuous party animal. Helena is full on mad scientist, devoted and manipulative, and her ‘research’ is both so shoddy and so unethical that it’s a small miracle that she can get anyone to go along with it.
Ultimately, the novel is a surprisingly fast read, but it couldn’t help but think it would have been better if it had placed its focus elsewhere. It has the potential to become a second Frankenstein, but as it stands it’s an engaging read but also largely forgettable.